On Wednesday, April 16, 2026, the Sejm National Defence Committee (SKON) held its 90th meeting from 5:00 to 6:15 p.m. in the Bronisław Geremek Hall (Room 14, Building G), chaired by Andrzej Grzyb (PSL). The meeting focused on information from the Minister of National Defence regarding the acquisition of submarines under the Orka program.
Series C MIDGET-class miniature submarine / Graphic: M23 S.R.L.
The Ministry of National Defence was represented by Secretary of State Stanisław Wziątek. Also present were:
- Vice Admiral Jarosław Ziemiański, Inspector of the Navy at the Armed Forces General Command;
- General Adam Rzeczkowski, Director of the Department for Supervision over the Armed Forces at the National Security Bureau;
- Commander Piotr Skóra, Head of the Maritime Technology Directorate at the Armament Agency;
- Commander Krzysztof Stępniewski, Deputy Head of the Functional Strike System Division of the Operational Planning Directorate (P3) at the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces;
- Witold Milczarek, Deputy Chief of the Head of the National Security Bureau’s Cabinet;
- Commander Krzysztof Ulatowicz, Chief Specialist in the Military Equipment Procurement System Division at the Ministry of National Defence’s Department of Armament Policy;
- Mirosław Wiklik, Acting Director of the Department of National Security;
- Mieczysław Żurawski, Chief State Audit Specialist at the Department of National Security;
- and Marek Kuźmicz, member of the Council for the Development of the Polish Navy and Merchant Marine.
The sponsors of the meeting were represented by MP Michał Jach (Law and Justice), who recalled that the joint meeting of the Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation Committee and the National Defence Committee on February 25 this year had addressed the issue of acquiring three A26 Blekinge-class submarines from Sweden.
He noted that the discussion had been dominated by the issue of abandoning cruise missiles. “We believe this is a bad decision, one that weakens both the operational capability and the deterrence potential of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland,” MP Michał Jach said.
He pointed to the high cost of the Orka program and the lack of understanding as to why the submarines would not be armed with cruise missiles. “Given that this is the price of the submarines without armament in the form of cruise missiles, the Polish military cannot afford such an expensive toy. We need to equip the Navy with vessels of this kind, each of which will have a significant impact on the military security of the Republic and will increase its deterrence potential,” Michał Jach added.
In response, Deputy Minister of National Defence Stanisław Wziątek stressed that, in the open format in which the committee meeting was being conducted, he could not provide detailed information on the tactical and technical specifications of the submarines under the codename Orka, especially since negotiations with the Swedes were still ongoing. At the same time, he announced that no final and definitive decisions had yet been made.
“If the terms negotiated with Sweden are not satisfactory, the agreement will not be signed and negotiations with other bidders will begin,” Stanisław Wziątek declared.
Interestingly, he said that the acquisition of submarines under the Orka program does not close out or end the Ministry of Defence’s plans regarding the armed forces’ undersea capabilities. One of the options being considered by the ministry is the acquisition of miniature submarines. These would be used by the Special Forces, among other things, to protect critical infrastructure, such as wind farms (Combat Team C of the Formoza Military Unit in Dziwnów).
It is worth recalling here the visit by Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Bejda, who is responsible for overseeing the technical modernization of the Polish Armed Forces, to Italy on February 17, 2025. The visit included a meeting at the facilities of M23 S.R.L. in Bergamo. In cooperation with the shipbuilding company Giunio Santi Engineering (GSE Trieste), that firm specializes in the production of small Series C MIDGET-class submarines.
During his visit to the M23 S.R.L. facilities, Deputy Minister Bejda had an opportunity to familiarize himself with the production process of these vessels and discuss their potential operational uses, as well as possible areas of cooperation between the Polish and Italian defense industries.
Qatar has ordered vessels of this type. They are 23 meters long and 5 meters wide. They can dive to a depth of 200 meters and reach speeds of up to 12 knots. Their crew consists of 6 sailors and 6 special forces divers, who can leave the submarine through a special hatch while submerged. The Series C design is relatively heavily armed, with two 533 mm torpedo tubes. The submarine can also carry Murena smart naval mines and launch loitering munitions.