Poland, Baltic states eye new submarines, attack boats to deter Russia

WARSAW, Poland — Poland and the Baltic states are accelerating efforts to acquire new submarines and vessels that will broaden their capabilities suitable for the sea’s shallow waters.

In Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the country’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, has said his ministry aims to order between three and four new submarines for the Polish Navy until the end of this year. The planned procurement, which is pursued under the Orka (Orca) program, is deemed urgent, as the country’s naval forces rely on a single Soviet-designed submarine, the Kilo-class ORP Orzel, whose outdated technology and equipment makes it incompatible with the requirements of modern naval warfare.

While a number of countries are competing to secure the potential order from Warsaw, the ministry has disclosed that its experts assigned the highest scores to the offers placed by Germany, Sweden and Italy.

In 2023, Poland unveiled that 11 entities took part in a market consultation . Known competitors include France’s Naval Group , German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Italy’s Fincantieri, Spain’s Navantia, South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean and Hyundai, Sweden’s Saab , and the U.K.’s Babcock.

A spokesperson for the Polish ministry told Defense News that, while three offers have received the highest scores from the Polish Armaments Agency, the military’s procurement arm, the remaining submarines have not been discarded amid ongoing talks with foreign governments.

“Currently, government-level talks are being held. Following the decision of the Technical Modernization Council, the Armaments Agency will take steps with the aim to acquire these submarines,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Latvia and Lithuania have joined forces to buy multipurpose attack boats from Finnish shipbuilder Marine Alutech. Under the Common Future Multipurpose Attack Craft (CFMAC) program, the shipyard is to develop and deliver combat vessels based on the Watercat M18 design to the two Baltic States’ militaries.

“This contract is the second step after the 2024 Technical Agreement between Latvia, Lithuania and Finland to strengthen regional defense. Under this contract, Lithuania will acquire two advanced Fast Multirole Attack Crafts from Marine Alutech,” the Finnish shipbuilder said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence told Defense News the two multirole attack craft that are to be built for the country’s Navy will be integrated into the Coastal Defense Battalion.

The acquisition “will significantly enhance Lithuania’s naval defense capabilities. These vessels will feature advanced combat systems, including Spike NLOS missile launchers and a remote heavy machine gun control system, which will enable them to engage both maritime and land-based targets effectively,” the ministry’s representative said.

“Furthermore, the boats are specially designed for operations in shallow waters, allowing them to perform missions in areas such as the Curonian Lagoon, where conventional vessels may struggle. This unique design and propulsion system will ensure that Lithuania can maintain a rapid response capacity for a variety of threats, ranging from asymmetric warfare to traditional defense operations,” the spokesperson added.

The vessels are scheduled to enter service in the Lithuanian Navy in late 2026.

“The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence has plans to further expand and modernize naval capabilities in the coming years. Between 2030 and 2037, Lithuania is preparing for a progressive modernization of its naval fleet,” said the ministry representative. “This initiative will include the acquisition of new multirole offshore patrol vessels, which will be equipped with advanced capabilities to address evolving security challenges.”

Based in Teijo, on the Finnish Baltic Sea shore, Marine Alutech says that its shipyard has built more than 500 vessels since 1985.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰和波罗的海国家正在加快努力，以获取新的潜艇和舰艇，从而扩大其在浅海的作战能力。

波兰副总理兼国防部长瓦迪斯瓦夫·科西尼亚克-卡梅什表示，国防部计划在今年年底前为波兰海军订购三到四艘新型潜艇。这项名为“虎鲸”（Orca）的潜艇采购计划被认为迫在眉睫，因为波兰海军目前仅依靠一艘苏联设计的基洛级潜艇“虎鲸”（ORP Orzel）。该潜艇技术和设备陈旧，已无法满足现代海战的需求。

虽然许多国家都在竞相争取来自华沙的潜在订单，但该部透露，其专家对德国、瑞典和意大利的报价给予了最高分。

2023年，波兰公布了11家实体参与市场咨询的消息。已知的竞争对手包括法国海军集团、德国蒂森克虏伯海事系统公司、意大利芬坎蒂尼集团、西班牙纳凡蒂亚集团、韩国韩华海洋和现代集团、瑞典萨博集团以及英国巴布科克集团。

波兰国防部发言人告诉《防务新闻》，虽然波兰军备局（军方采购机构）对三份报价给出了最高分，但在与外国政府进行谈判期间，其余潜艇的采购计划并未被放弃。

发言人表示：“目前，政府层面正在进行磋商。根据技术现代化委员会的决定，军备局将采取措施，力求获得这些潜艇。”

与此同时，拉脱维亚和立陶宛联手从芬兰造船厂Marine Alutech购买多用途攻击艇。根据“共同未来多用途攻击艇”（CFMAC）计划，该造船厂将基于Watercat M18设计，为这两个波罗的海国家的军队研发并交付作战舰艇。

“这份合同是继拉脱维亚、立陶宛和芬兰于2024年签署技术协议以加强区域防御之后的第二步。根据这份合同，立陶宛将从芬兰造船企业Marine Alutech公司采购两艘先进的快速多用途攻击艇，”该公司在一份声明中表示。

立陶宛国防部发言人告诉《防务新闻》，将为该国海军建造的两艘多用途攻击艇将编入海岸防御营。

该部代表表示，此次采购“将显著提升立陶宛的海军防御能力。这些舰艇将配备先进的作战系统，包括‘长钉’NLOS导弹发射器和远程重机枪控制系统，使其能够有效打击海上和陆地目标。”

发言人补充道：“此外，这些艇只专为浅水作业而设计，使其能够在库罗尼亚泻湖等传统舰艇难以作业的区域执行任务。这种独特的设计和推进系统将确保立陶宛能够对各种威胁保持快速反应能力，从非对称战争到传统防御行动均包括在内。”

这些舰艇计划于 2026 年底在立陶宛海军服役。

立陶宛国防部代表表示：“立陶宛国防部计划在未来几年进一步扩充和现代化海军能力。2030年至2037年间，立陶宛正着手逐步推进海军舰队的现代化建设。这项计划将包括采购新型多用途近海巡逻舰，这些舰艇将配备先进能力，以应对不断变化的安全挑战。”

Marine Alutech 公司位于芬兰波罗的海沿岸的泰约，该公司表示，自 1985 年以来，其造船厂已建造了 500 多艘船舶。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。