The vessel, currently under construction at PGZ Stocznia Wojenna (PGZ Naval Shipyard) in Gdynia with the hull number B106/2, will be named Burza (Polish for storm or tempest) during its launch, which is expected to take place in the third quarter of 2027. This marks the second such milestone in the history of the program. The first occurred over a year and a half ago—on August 16, 2023—when work began on hull B106/1, the future ORP Wicher (Polish for gale, both names are references to Polish warships from World War II).
The first sheet of steel marking the start of construction of frigate B106/2 / Photos: Przemysław Gurgurewicz, MILMAG
During the steel-cutting ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, along with invited guests and members of the media, had the opportunity to inspect the progress on the construction of the first vessel. The completed hull blocks are located in the newly built hull integration hall, which was commissioned in November of last year. Among the visible sections were the aft part of B106/1 and several midship blocks. The bow block is being built at the neighboring Crist shipyard and will later be joined with the sections under construction at PGZ Stocznia Wojenna. The fully assembled hull is expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2026. The ship is scheduled for completion in 2028, which will allow for the start of qualification trials. These trials are planned to be completed no later than the end of the first quarter of 2030. The keel for the second vessel, construction of which began today, is scheduled to be laid in the fourth quarter of 2025, with a launch expected in the third quarter of 2027, and final delivery planned for the second quarter of 2030.
As for the third vessel—B106/3 (Huragan, Polish for hurricane)—the steel-cutting is planned for the third quarter of 2026, keel-laying in the fourth quarter of 2026, launch in the third quarter of 2028, and delivery of the completed ship in the second quarter of 2031.
The sheet featured the name of the program, the ship’s hull number, and its future name, Burza.
The Project 106 Miecznik frigates are multi-role vessels with an overall length of 138.7 meters, a maximum beam of 19.75 meters, and a maximum displacement of approximately 7,000 tons. The propulsion system, consisting of four MTU 20V 8000 M71 diesel engines, each generating 8,200 kW, is expected to enable a top speed of over 26 knots. The cruising speed is set at 12 knots, with an operational range of around 8,000 nautical miles. The crew will consist of approximately 180 personnel, with accommodations for up to 187.
The armament of the new Polish frigates will include:
- 1 Leonardo OTO Melara 76/62 Super Rapid Strales 76 mm naval gun,
- 2 PIT-Radwar OSU-35K anti-aircraft systems with 35 mm AM-35K cannons,
- 2 ZM Tarnów WKM-Bm 12.7 mm heavy machine guns,
- 2 remotely operated TBO machine guns,
- 8 Kongsberg NSM anti-ship missile launchers (with provisions for doubling this number to 16 launchers),
- MBDA Sea Ceptor air defense system with 128 CAMM short-range (>25 km) surface-to-air missiles housed in a 32-cell Lockheed Martin Mk 41 Strike VLS (four 8-cell modules). In the future, the Sea Ceptor system is expected to gain compatibility with extended-range CAMM-ER missiles (>45 km) and the next-generation CAMM-MR (FCM) missiles, which are still in development and projected to have a range exceeding 100 km,
- 4 (two twin) EuroTorp B515 324 mm anti-submarine torpedo launchers.
The electronic equipment of the vessels will include the following systems and devices:
- Thales TACTICOS combat management system with 20 multifunction operator consoles,
- Thales Sea Master 410 long-range multifunction radar (range up to 400 km),
- Thales NS50 (NS58 series) medium-range radar (range up to 180 km),
- Thales STIR 1.2 EO Mk 2 fire control radar,
- Thales Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system with TSA 6000 interrogator and TSC 4000 transponder,
- 2 ZGS-35K electro-optical integrated tracking heads as part of the PIT-Radwar OSU-35K system,
- Thales Blue Hunter hull-mounted sonar,
- Thales CAPTAS-2 towed sonar system,
- Thales bathymetric probe,
- Thales TUUM-6 underwater telephone,
- Wavefront Sentinel IDS diver detection sonar,
- Rohde & Schwarz KORA integrated electronic warfare system,
- PGZ Stocznia Wojenna integrated bridge and navigation system based on OSI products,
- PGZ Stocznia Wojenna integrated communication system based on in-house and Rohde & Schwarz technologies.
Activation of the steel-cutting machine by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
The contract for the construction of three frigates under the codename Miecznik was signed on July 27, 2021, between the then Armament Inspectorate and the PGZ-Miecznik consortium, which at the time consisted of: Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) as the lead partner, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna sp. z o.o. (Consortium Member), and Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. (the latter withdrew from the consortium on June 14, 2023; as a result, the Crist shipyard in Gdynia became the main subcontractor for hull construction).
The agreement stipulated that, in the first stage, the consortium would conduct comparative analyses of the proposed designs and provide the Armament Agency with materials to support the selection of the final solution. In March 2022, it was announced that the offer from the British company Babcock, featuring the Arrowhead 140 frigate, had been selected.
In this symbolic way, the construction of the second Project 106 frigate under the Miecznik program was officially launched
Construction of the first ship did not begin until approximately two years after the contract was signed, due to the fact that Annex No. 3—detailing the final configuration of the ordered vessels, including their armament and equipment—was only signed on June 30, 2023. This annex provided funding for one fully equipped prototype vessel and two additional ships without armament systems, electronic warfare systems, technical observation systems, and most of the sonar suite. These gaps were addressed on December 15, 2023, when Annex No. 4 was signed, covering the purchase of the following for the second and third frigates: 76 mm OTO Melara Super Rapid Strales naval guns, Lockheed Martin Mk 41 missile launchers, Sea Ceptor missile systems, Thales Sea Master 410 radars, Thales NS50 series radars, the Rohde & Schwarz KORA integrated electronic warfare system, and Thales Identification Friend or Foe systems with the TSA 6000 interrogator and TSC 4000 transponder. For the first time, the total value of the contract including the annexes was disclosed—amounting to 14.8 billion PLN.
Following Annex No. 4, some equipment and weapon systems for the second and third ships still remained unprocured. This specifically included the OSU-35K artillery system with ZGS-35K electro-optical integrated tracking heads, heavy machine guns, the Thales STIR 1.2EO Mk 2 fire control radar, the Thales CAPTAS-2 towed sonar, the Wavefront Sentinel IDS diver detection sonar, and the Rohde & Schwarz KORA integrated electronic warfare system. This means that the overall cost of the program will rise beyond the previously stated 14.8 billion PLN to account for the purchase of the above-listed systems. The shipbuilding contract also does not cover the acquisition of onboard helicopters or ammunition—such as surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, or torpedoes—which will most likely be included in separate agreements.
