Poland, through the State Treasury Armaments Agency, has signed the contract with Sweden's Saab for the supply of 3 A26 submarines under the ORKA program, aimed at modernizing Warsaw's underwater fleet by replacing the single KILO-class submarine currently in service.
On November 26, 2025, the Polish Government had announced Saab and Sweden as winners of the ORKA program. The agreement, valued at approximately €4.25 billion, also includes a weapons package and a training and logistics support package. Delivery of the first submarine is expected in 2031, with the last in 2038. In this case, caution is warranted: Saab is facing major delays in delivering the first 2 A26 units to the Swedish Navy. Steel cutting for the lead boat, the HMS BLEKINGE, took place in September 2015, yet the submarine has still not entered service. These delays are attributed mainly to the condition of the Kockums shipyard in Karlskrona. Sold by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to Saab in 2014, the yard had not built submarines since the 1990s, when the last GÖTLAND-class boat, the HMS HALLAND, was delivered. Restoring the submarine production line took longer than expected, driving up both delays and costs.
The A26 is designed to operate primarily in the Baltic Sea, with strong emphasis on stealth and modularity. It can conduct special forces support, intelligence, and seabed patrol missions, and can operate in tandem with unmanned vehicles. Propulsion is conventional diesel-electric, supplemented by an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, which extends submerged endurance. The hull's strength also allows the boat to rest on the seabed to minimize detection. Surface displacement is around 1,900 t, length is 66.1 m, and beam is 6.75 m. The submarine is armed with heavy torpedoes and naval mines, and a cruise missile-capable variant may be developed.
Saab, in cooperation with Polish industry, will establish a maintenance, repair, and overhaul center for the submarines directly in Poland, boosting Warsaw's strategic autonomy.
Poland and Sweden have also signed a separate agreement allowing the Polish Navy to operate the Swedish submarine HMS SÖDERMANLAND, of the VÄSTERGÖTLAND class, as a gap filler pending delivery of the new A26 units. The SÖDERMANLAND entered service in 1989 but remains operational for a few more years following a life-extension refit completed in 2024. In addition, the two countries have launched a new initiative, the "Baltic Sea Pact," to deepen cooperation on security, deterrence, and defense industry ties.
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