Frag Out! Magazine

Frag Out! Magazine #25

Frag Out! Magazine

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the German design would be the best base for further devel- opment. The requirements for the new vessel were quite high and the design underwent significant modifications when compared to the original idea. The requirements also entailed a price that was significantly higher. Polisj experts estimated that the cost of a fully equipped and armed vessel would ex- ceed 1.5 billion PLN (350+ million EUR). Nest step was an agreement signed on 27th November 2001, between the SMW shipyard and Polish Navy, concerning the process of building a prototype corvette. The agreement also envisaged optional acquisition of 6 more vessels. What's relevant, the value of the agreement was a subject to limitation of 638M PLN (149M EUR), since it only covered cre- ation of the "platform", with most of the sensors and arma- ment systems excluded. The agreement was also accompa- nied with another, license agreement signed by and between the German Corvette Consortium and the Polish Naval Ship- yard, authorizing the latter entity to utilize the MEKO A-100 design to create the 621 corvette. Are these opinions and associations valid? It seems that Ślązak, during the upcoming weeks, will be finally adopted by Polish Navy. One may say that it would be the right time now to summarize the 18 years of existence of that vessel. New Corvettes: The Roots of the Concept The Ślązak's Story The keel of the vessel has been laid in 2001. However, to get acquainted with the complicated path towards acquisition of the 621 design corvette one needs to go back in time even further, to 1997. At the end of 1997 the Polish Naval Shipyard (SMW, Stocznia Marynarki Wojennej) began working on a new corvette. The program became known under the name Gaw- ron II and it received design number: 621. The shipyard began to look for a foreign partner who would have a proper vessel design, with that design offering an option of being adapted to meet the specific Polish requirements. Offers and propos- als were submitted by German Blohm & Voss (MEKO A-100), the Sweden (Visby class design) and UK (two designs: small- er Cougar and a larger corvette based on the British Type 23 ASW Frigate known as 620/II). Ultimately it was decided that www.fragoutmag.com

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