A Polish Navy submarine sails near Gdynia, Poland, in August 2025. The Polish Navy is seeking to buy three new submarines from Sweden, enhancing its force posture in the Baltic. (Shutterstock/Wojciech Wrzesien)

Why Is Poland Buying New Submarines from Sweden?

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The three submarines are expected to strengthen NATO’s position in the Baltic, which has grown increasingly tense since 2022—particularly around the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Poland has signed a $4.8 billion agreement with Sweden’s Saab to acquire three A26 Blekinge-class submarines, the largest naval procurement in modern Polish history. The purchase amounts to more than the replacement of aging submarines, however—it represents a broader effort to modernize Poland’s navy with platforms optimized for stealth, autonomous systems, and operations in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea. The deal also reflects NATO’s growing emphasis on undersea surveillance, critical infrastructure protection, and distributed maritime operations.

The A26 Submarine’s Specifications

Year Introduced: 2024 (lead ship under construction; Polish variant ordered 2026)

Number Built: 0 operational (3 for Sweden under construction; 3 ordered by Poland)

Length: 66 m (217 ft)

Beam (Width): 6.75 m (22.1 ft)

Displacement: ~2,000 tons (submerged)

Propulsion: Diesel-electric with Stirling Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP)

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