New submarines for the Polish Navy to be procured by the end of 2025

The Polish government plans to complete the procurement of new submarines for the country's Navy by the end of 2025 as part of the Orka program. This was announced on September 16, 2025, by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a testing ground in Ustka on the Baltic Sea.

As noted by the head of government, the decision to launch the Orka program will be made in the near future. After reviewing all proposals, the final choice of the submarine supplier will be approved. The goal of the program is to modernize the fleet, including the acquisition of three to four modern submarines with high combat autonomy and the capability to be equipped with cruise missiles.

Potential suppliers and program features

• Among the contenders for supplying submarines are companies from France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, and South Korea.
• In 2024, the Spanish company Navantia was added to the list, previously identified as one of the four potential suppliers.
• The Polish Orka program started in the early 21st century and provides for significant modernization of the submarine fleet, focusing on modern technologies and flexibility in combat applications.

Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak emphasized in 2023 that the Orka project is one of the most important modernization programs for the Polish Armed Forces and includes the transfer of related technologies as part of a compensation program.

Current situation and challenges

According to experts, the Polish Navy will face the need to decommission outdated ships and vessels in the coming years, which will create a sharp shortage of naval capabilities. The new submarines are expected to partially compensate for these losses and enhance the fleet's combat readiness. However, financial constraints may affect the scale and speed of modernization, as approximately 10-12 billion zlotys (about 2.5-3 billion US dollars) are planned to be spent on the new fleet by 2025.

The key task remains to ensure a guaranteed high duration of combat missions, payload capacity for the installation of modern weapons, as well as maximum flexibility in the configuration and tactical capabilities of the new submarines.