Poland Orders New SIGINT Ships

By Richard Scott

Swedish defence group Saab is to deliver two new signals intelligence (SIGINT) vessels to Poland under the terms of a contract with the Polish State Treasury Armament Agency.

Valued at about €620 million ($646 million), the deal will see Saab serve as prime contractor for the program, including taking responsibility for the integration of an advanced SIGINT suite. The two ships, planned to be delivered during 2027, will be built by Polish subcontractor Remontowa Shipbuilding SA.

Saab is already completing a new SIGINT vessel, HMS Artemis, for Sweden under a contract awarded by the Defence Materiel Administration in 2017. Originally planned to enter service in 2020, completion of Artemis has been delayed because of financial difficulties impacting the Polish shipyard subcontracted to build the vessel.

Artemis began sea trials in early November 2022. Once delivered, Artemis will replace HMS Orion, which entered service in the mid-1980s