On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the Swedish Navy (Svenska marinen) press service and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on social media that training had begun in Sweden for Polish sailors who will form the crew of the interim A17 Södermanland submarine.
Photo: Saab Defence and Security
Training has begun in Sweden for our sailors who will form the crew of the A17 submarine. It will serve as a so-called gap filler, allowing sailors from the 3rd Ship Flotilla to familiarize themselves with the vessel’s operating principles. Our sailors are currently undergoing the first stage of training, including combat medicine and shipboard damage control. In addition, rescue escape training has been scheduled for part of the crew. The second stage will include simulator training and instruction directly aboard an A17-class submarine.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
In June, it was confirmed that Poland would purchase Swedish submarines. As part of the agreement, the Polish crew is to undergo training in Sweden. Now, just 49 days after the contract was signed, the Polish crew has begun its training, which will continue until early 2028.
Svenska marinen
Two agreements were signed on June 29 this year under the Polish Orka submarine program: one with Saab Defence and Security for three new submarines based on the A26 Blekinge design, worth 47 billion SEK (18.18 billion PLN), with deliveries scheduled for 2031–2038; and another with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV, Försvarets materielverk) under the Swedish Ministry of Defence for the lease of the A17 Södermanland-class submarine HSwMS Södermanland (Söd), together with equipment, armament, technical support and training, for approximately 1.9 billion SEK (734.915 million PLN), with the transfer planned for 2027.
As the Swedish side stated at the time, training for the first technicians and mechanics, due to the complexity of the systems, was to begin in August at the naval base in Karlskrona, home of the 1st Submarine Flotilla.
It is worth noting that the submarine underwent an upgrade under a contract signed on September 14, 2022, worth 470 million SEK (178.5 million PLN at the time) between Saab and FMV, extending its service life until 2030 through around 50 modifications, including battery replacement and the launch of work on a new generation of batteries. It is also possible that the submarine underwent repairs after it capsized in dry dock on January 25, 2022, following improper securing after the dock had been drained. The submarine returned to Swedish service on June 26, 2024.
The A17 Södermanland-class submarines, originally built as the Västergötland class by the former Kockums AB shipyard in Malmö, now Saab Kockums, part of Saab Defence and Security, are 60.5 m long, having been lengthened by 12 m during their first modernization in 2003–2004 from the original 48.5 m. They are 6.1 m wide and have a hull height of 5.6 m. Their submerged displacement is 1,500 tonnes, compared with 1,150 tonnes before modernization.
Their greatest advantage is the modernized machinery section. The propulsion system consists of two Hedemora diesel engines and Kockums v4-275R Stirling engines installed during the modernization. As a result, the submarines feature a modern Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, enabling speeds of up to 20 knots and allowing them to remain submerged for several weeks. The crew consists of 20 officers and non-commissioned officers and six sailors. Armament comprises six 533 mm torpedo tubes and four 400 mm tubes for torpedoes and mines.
The first two submarines in their original configuration, HSwMS Västergötland (Vgd) and Hälsingland (Hgd), were sold to Singapore as the Archer class, while the modernized Södermanland (Söd) and Östergötland (Ögd) were offered to Poland as an interim solution ahead of the launch of the Orka program, as then-Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak announced on November 28, 2019. However, on February 23, 2021, the minister stated that the ongoing negotiations were not heading in the right direction, and the ministry was concerned about both the timeframe for acquiring the submarines and their price. The purchase was ultimately abandoned. Östergötland was withdrawn from service and placed in reserve in 2021, while Södermanland later became the subject of renewed Polish-Swedish negotiations.
‼️W Szwecji rozpoczęły się szkolenia naszych marynarzy, którzy będą tworzyć załogę
okrętu podwodnego A17. Będzie on pełnił funkcję tzw. gap fillera, na którym marynarze 3 Flotylli Okrętów
będą poznawać zasady działania okrętu.W tej chwili nasi marynarze przechodzą pierwszy… pic.twitter.com/U7jcYlSylB
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) August 19, 2026
I juni blev det klart att Polen skulle köpa svenska ubåtar. Som en del av affären ska den polska besättningen utbildas i Sverige.
Nu, bara 49 dagar efter att kontraktet skrevs på, påbörjar den polska besättningen sin utbildning som pågår till början av 2028. 🇵🇱🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/XAko9SolQ4
— Marinen (@Swedish_Navy) August 19, 2026
