Frag Out! Magazine
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service for 15-20 years. The Swedish submarines are 32 years old. They would be even older, as plans mentioned above enter force. Only after they are decommissioned, could they be sent to the shipyard. They would spend several months there, given the scope of work that is expected to be conducted. Only af- ter that would they be received by the Polish sailors. But they would not be ready yet, for operational use. The crews would need 18 to 24 months for training, to reach the IOC [Initial Op- erational Capability) status. Considering the above matters, it could be said that the "new" Polish submarines would be ready for service in the Polish Navy 4 decades after their maiden voy- age. This makes the acquisition plans regarding these vessels highly questionable. The same applies to the potential spending associated with the upgrades - that would eat up a major part of the Polish Navy's budget. Żeglarek II The Żeglarek program is one of the rare examples of a broad up- grade of military equipment, stepping beyond the naval domain, as the program is unique in the Armed Forces as a whole. The modernization of the Orkan-class vessels, with finances playing a key role, did not fill all of the gaps and disadvantag- es of these warships. The disadvantages include the lack of a soft-kill protection system, with decoys and countermeasures, that would be the last resort in neutralizing the RF and optronic seekers of the anti-ship missiles. Another problem stems from Sweden, for a few years, has been observing the increased in- tensity of the Russian activities in the Baltic Sea, along with the growing potential of the Navy. As a result, Sweden decided to radically increase its defense budget. The above became a fact when the Swedish Parliament ratified the relevant decisions in December last year. The defense expenditure for the period between 2021 and 2025 was boosted by 40%. The increase so radical made it possible to relevantly change the military equipment sustainment and acquisition plans. Interestingly, the changes resulted in a decision to increase the number of sub- marines in the Navy to 5. This is not necessarily an increase - Sweden simply made a step back to its original status quo. This means that three out of two A19s would remain in service, while two A17 vessels would be replaced by the A26 submarines that are currently under construction. The first vessel is to be launched amid the decade. The above facts mean that reaching out for the Swedish gap-filler, as a result of the Polish indeci- siveness, has been pushed away and would not be possible for years. Worst case scenario? The Swedish gap-filler would be a total no-go. Here one should analyze the justification of the effort aimed at procurement of the Swedish subs. According to the available information, the procured vessels are to be rapidly modernized - which is not a novelty in the Western Armed Forces - what is new is the fact that work as such often comes in a form of a Mid-Life Upgrade, and it concerns equipment that has been in www.fragoutmag.com