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Sweden signs new agreement to lease HMS Södermanland submarine to Poland until new A26-class arrives.
On October 12, 2026, Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Armed Forces signed a formal agreement to prepare and lease the HMS Södermanland submarine to Poland from October 2026 to October 2032. The lease provides an immediate operational gap-filler to maintain Polish undersea defense capabilities and crew training following the depletion of its fleet to a single aging Kilo-class vessel. This arrangement serves as a strategic bridge until Poland receives three new-build Saab A26 submarines under a SEK 47 billion procurement contract scheduled for delivery between 2031 and 2038.
Sweden will lease the HMS Södermanland submarine to Poland until October 2032 to train Polish crews and maintain the country's submarine capabilities ahead of the delivery of three new A26 Blekinge-class submarines between 2031 and 2038. (Picture source: Swedish MoD)
On October 12, 2026, Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Armed Forces signed an agreement to prepare the HMS Södermanland submarine for lease to Poland, covering refurbishment, crew training, maintenance, and operational support during Polish service. The agreement implements the June 29, 2026, contract between FMV and Poland's Armament Agency, which established a lease running from October 2026 to October 2032, with operational use beginning in 2028. The package, estimated by Polish sources at SEK 1.9 billion, includes the submarine, torpedoes, logistics, and training, as 30 Polish submariners began an 18-month course in Karlskrona on August 24, 2026, with instruction aboard the Södermanland beginning in October. The Swedish submarine will temporarily supplement Poland's sole Project 877E Kilo-class ORP Orzeł, commissioned in 1986, before three Saab A26 submarines arrive under a SEK 47 billion (€4.26 billion) procurement contract. The first A26 is scheduled for 2031, but the third will not arrive until 2038, six years after the interim lease expires.
The HMS Södermanland was launched on April 12, 1988, and commissioned on April 21, 1989, as the third of four Västergötland-class submarines built by Kockums in Karlskrona. During its 2000-2004 reconstruction, the hull was extended by 12 meters, from 48.5 to 60.5 meters, to install two Stirling air-independent propulsion (AIP) units, creating the A17S subclass. It now displaces 1,400 tonnes surfaced and 1,500 tonnes submerged, reaches 8 knots surfaced and 15 to 20 knots submerged, while carrying six 533 mm heavyweight and three 400 mm lightweight torpedo tubes. Its complement is 24 to 28 sailors, while the retirement of the HMS Östergötland in 2021 left the Södermanland as the subclass's last operational submarine. Sweden subsequently approved SEK 470 million in September 2022 for further life-extension work, including battery replacement, machinery overhaul, and associated upgrades.
The Södermanland's principal advantage over the ORP Orzeł is its ability to generate electricity underwater without snorkeling. The Orzeł's conventional diesel-electric propulsion system requires atmospheric air to recharge batteries, whereas Södermanland's two Stirling engines burn diesel using stored liquid oxygen, allowing extended low-speed submerged patrols without exposing a snorkel mast or surfacing periodically to recharge batteries. This reduces opportunities for detection by radar and electro-optical sensors, although high-speed underwater movement still depends on battery reserves. Polish engineers must therefore learn liquid-oxygen handling, Stirling maintenance, electrical-load management, and submerged energy budgeting, all relevant to the A26's four Stirling units. Despite its smaller displacement, the Södermanland has nine torpedo tubes compared with the A26's planned six, meaning the newer submarine's principal improvements concern endurance, sensors, signature management, and additional mission equipment.
Poland's submarine force declined from five vessels to one following the retirement of four Kobben-class submarines between December 2017 and December 2021, reducing available crew-training and maintenance opportunities by 80% in numerical fleet terms. The 30 Polish sailors who arrived in Karlskrona on August 24 began an 18-month course, initially covering firefighting, flooding response, and damage control at Sjöstridsskolan, followed by language training at Litorina Folk High School. From October, the 1st Submarine Flotilla assumed instruction aboard the Södermanland, including propulsion, sonar, weapons, navigation, and safety procedures. Matching the training duration for Swedish submarine crews, the course ends in early 2028, and the 30 trainees represent one complete crew and two to six additional personnel. Sweden previously trained four Australian crews, six Singaporean crews, and one Danish crew across separate submarine programs.
Each of Poland's future A26 submarines will measure 66.1 meters in length, 6.75 meters in beam, and 6 meters in draught, while displacing 1,925 tonnes surfaced and 2,100 tonnes submerged, 40% more than the Södermanland underwater. Four Kockums MkV V4-275R Stirling units coupled with diesel-electric propulsion will provide AIP, with planned endurance of 45 days, including 18 days using AIP, and a submerged speed of 10.8 knots. The standard complement will range from 17 to 26, increasing to 35 with additional mission personnel. Its six torpedo tubes will consist of four 533 mm torpedo tubes for Torped 62/63 heavyweight weapons and two 400 mm tubes for Torped 47. A 1.5-meter Multi-Mission Portal will permit the launch and recovery of underwater drones, divers, and swimmer delivery vehicles, while an X-rudder permits maneuvering in restricted waters. Sensors include bow and flank sonar arrays, Kongsberg SA9510S mine-avoidance sonar, Safran Series 30 optronic masts, and Saab's 9LV combat management system, complemented by acoustic insulation, adaptive degaussing, and electrical-signature reduction.
Poland selected the A26 on November 26, 2025, following the Orka competition that involved seven shipyards from six countries, concluding a procurement effort launched in 2013 and revived in 2023. Saab's June 2026 contract covers three submarines, torpedoes, training, and support for SEK 47 billion (€4.26 billion), equivalent to SEK 15.67 billion per submarine when dividing the entire package by three. Deliveries are scheduled from 2031 to 2038, while the heavyweight torpedo selection between Torped 62 and Torped 63 remains unresolved. Saab will also integrate an unidentified missile outside the weapons package, with the manufacturer indicating that it is not a cruise missile. Construction will take place at Karlskrona with Polish industrial participation, making Poland the first A26 export customer and increasing the combined Swedish-Polish order to five submarines.
The construction schedule introduces a separate industrial constraint because Sweden's own A26 program has already undergone three major scheduling revisions. The original June 2015 contract covered two submarines for SEK 8.2 billion, with deliveries planned for 2022 and 2024. A 2021 revision increased the value to SEK 14 billion and postponed deliveries to 2027 and 2028, followed by a new October 2025 agreement establishing a SEK 25 billion ceiling and delivery dates of 2031 and 2033. The ceiling has consequently increased by SEK 16.8 billion, or 204.9%, while the first submarine is nine years behind its original schedule. Saab also received a SEK 9.6 billion production and materials order covering 2026-2032, as both Swedish submarines are already under construction at Karlskrona. Meanwhile, leasing the Södermanland reduces Sweden's submarine inventory from four to three, a 25% decrease, leaving its three Gotland-class submarines to maintain national operations until replacements arrive.
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Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.