The Polish defense procurement agency has signed a contract worth 630 million euros with Sweden’s Saab for the delivery of two signals intelligence (SIGINT) ships.
Signed on November 25, the contract is expected to see Saab deliver the two units by 2027.
Also referred to as a spy ship, a SIGINT ship is used to support the acquisition of intelligence data across the full spectrum of naval intelligence capabilities.
Saab will serve as prime contractor, designing and producing the two ships including the integration of advanced mission systems. The ships will be built by subcontractor Remontowa Shipbuilding SA in Poland.
Poland ordered the ships after Saab completed construction of a SIGINT ship for the Swedish Navy, which is currently on sea trials ahead of official delivery. Poland was involved in the construction of that ship too, as its hull was built by the Nauta Shiprepair Yard in Poland before it was transferred to Sweden for the installation of special SIGINT systems.
“We are proud that Poland has selected Saab as a partner in naval intelligence ship systems. We will contribute with our capabilities by building advanced platforms with world-leading sensors, fully integrating complete mission systems, where we have long experience,” says Saab’s president and CEO Micael Johansson.
Saab noted that the effectiveness of the contract is subject to the fulfilment of certain financial conditions, which are expected to be fulfilled by the end of 2022.
The purchase of new SIGINT ships is the latest in a long line of big-ticket defense purchases made by Poland recently. These have included the purchase of K2 Black Panther tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers from South Korea in deals worth around $5.7 billion, as well as the K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
Poland has also taken delivery of first launchers for the new Mała Narew short short-range air defense (SHORAD) system, in addition to signing a letter of request for an additional six Patriot missile defense system batteries from the US. Also announced this year is the intention to buy an additional 500 M142 HIMARS launchers that would equip more than 80 Polish Army batteries.
