Poland has signed an agreement to purchase three A26 submarines from Saab. The deal is worth nearly 50 billion kronor and the first submarine is scheduled for delivery in 2031.
The agreement was signed during a press conference in Gdynia between Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. It covers three Blekinge-class submarines to be built at Saab's shipyards in Karlskrona and Landskrona.
Saab will also invest up to 100 million euros in Poland to establish maintenance and repair capacity together with Polish industry. Thousands of jobs will be created by the deal of which 7 000 in Poland according to Kristersson.
Poland will lease the Swedish submarine HMS Södermanland until 2032 for training of sailors. Final delivery of the three submarines is planned for 2038. The deal includes weapons systems training and support with an order value of approximately 47 billion kronor.
The countries have also launched a new security policy cooperation called Baltic Sea Pact to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea.