Poland’s new SIGINT vessels will be delivered in 2027.
SAAB
Poland’s national defence spending continues, with a €620 million order for a pair of Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) ships. The Polish State Treasury Armament Agency has contracted Saab to design and build the ships for the Polish Navy. They will replace the Project 863 (Modified Moma class) intelligence-collection ships, ORP Nawigator and ORP Hydrograf, which date back to the mid-1970s, when Poland was part of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.
Construction of the hull of the new spy ships will be subcontracted to the Remontowa Shipbuilding shipyard in Gdansk, prior to fitting-out with advanced mission systems at the Saab Kockums’ shipyard in Karlskrona, Sweden. They will be similar to the future HSwMS Artemis (A 202), which is close to delivery to the Swedish Navy after recently undergoing sea trials.
As the highest defence spender in Eastern Europe, Poland is currently on track to increase its defence budget from the NATOrecommended two per cent of GDP to three per cent in 2023.