The training, underway at the Karlskrona base in southeastern Sweden, started 49 days after Poland signed a submarine purchase agreement with Sweden, the Swedish navy said. It is expected to run into early 2028.
The sailors are preparing to crew the A17, a vessel Poland will lease from Sweden next year to fill the gap before three newly purchased A26-class submarines enter service.
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X that the crew, drawn from the Polish navy's 3rd Ship Flotilla, is completing an initial phase covering battlefield medicine and damage control, with some sailors also receiving rescue and escape training. A second phase, he said, "will include simulators and training directly aboard an A17-class vessel".
Peter Oestbring, deputy commander of Sweden's 1st Submarine Flotilla, welcomed the Polish sailors to the base, saying extensive preparations had been made and that the partnership would bolster security for both Sweden and NATO. Local Swedish media also took note of the arrival, with officials pointing to new jobs in Karlskrona tied to the submarine construction.
The training follows a late-June deal between Poland's Armaments Agency and Swedish defense firm Saab for three A26 Blekinge-class submarines, part of Poland's Orka program. The first is due for delivery in 2031-32 and the remaining two by 2038. Sweden was named Poland's Orka partner last November, when the two governments signed an agreement clearing the way for the project.
The A26 submarines will use diesel-electric propulsion with an air-independent system that lets them stay submerged for days without surfacing to recharge batteries.
Poland's Armaments Agency said the A17 — continually upgraded by Sweden throughout its service — will be handed over in 2027 once the Polish crew's training under the Royal Swedish Navy is complete, and will fly the Polish flag until the first new-generation submarine arrives.
In the meantime, Poland's submarine fleet consists of a single aging vessel, the ORP Orzeł, built in the Soviet Union in 1985 and in frequent need of repair.
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Source: PAP