2025-10-07 18:09
publication
2025-10-07 18:09
The Miecznik program was the golden ticket that allowed the shipyard to be reborn, said Beata Koniarska, member of the management board of PGZ Stocznia Wojska, on Tuesday. She recalled that the launching of the first of three frigates was planned for August next year.
A member of the management board of PGZ Stocznia Wojenna took part in the debate “The role of the Miecznik program for the Polish industry” during the 23rd International Maritime and Military Fair Baltexpo held in Gdańsk.
The Miecznik program is currently the largest modernization program of the Polish Navy. Its goal is to build three modern multi-role frigates, which will become the basic combat force of the Polish fleet, replacing the obsolete Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships. Currently, the construction of the first Miecznik, the future ORP “Wicher”, is underway, which is scheduled to enter service in 2028.
Beata Koniarska emphasized that the Miecznik program “was the golden ticket that allowed the Gdynia shipyard to be reborn“Thanks to it, PGZ SW has a chance to become one of the few shipyards in Europe that build frigate-type vessels.
These are the elite of European shipyards, so we feel even more pressure on our shoulders, she said.
She indicated that at the end of this year the Gdynia shipyard will “integrate the hull of the first Miecznik”, and the frigate is scheduled to be launched in August next year.
As Koniarska noted, thanks to the Miecznik project and program, the shipyard can take care of its infrastructure potential, which will allow it not only to build ships, but also “prepare for a very important process”, i.e. servicing and maintaining ships in combat readiness throughout their entire life cycle.
When asked about the new prospects that the Miecznik program could open for PGZ SW, Koniarska said that the shipyard would like to enter foreign markets in the future and be perceived as the shipbuilding power it has been for many years.
Mieczniks are modern multi-role frigates whose design is based on the British Arrowhead 140 design, adapted to the requirements specified by the Polish army. One of the main tasks of the frigates will be anti-aircraft defense; they will be, among others, equipped with British CAMM and CAMM-ER anti-aircraft missile launchers. Miecznik will also feature cannons with a range of up to 40 km and anti-ship missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of over 200 km.
Measuring approximately 140 m, the ships have, among others, secure shipping routes and energy infrastructure, as well as fulfill tasks within NATO's Standing Ship Teams. The contract for the construction of frigates was signed between the Armament Agency and the PGZ Miecznik consortium in 2021. The value of the contract was initially approximately PLN 8 billion, but as a result of the annexes concluded, it increased to approximately PLN 15 billion at the end of 2023.
In addition to the PGZ Miecznik concern established for this purpose under the auspices of PGZ, foreign partners are involved in the project, including primarily British Babcock, which is the owner of the ship project.
Currently, the core of the Polish fleet consists of two Oliver Hazard Perry-class missile frigates – ORP “Gen. T. Kościuszko” and ORP “Gen. K. Pułaski”, which entered service in the US fleet in 1980 and were transferred to the Polish Navy at the beginning of the 21st century. (PAP)
dsok/ uguw
