Saab Signs €620 Million Contract For Two SIGINT Ships For Poland
On November 25, Saab signed a contract with the Polish State Treasury Armament Agency for design, production and support of two ships for Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) for Poland. The total order value corresponds to approximately €620 million with deliveries planned during 2027.
A SIGINT ship is used to support the acquisition of intelligence data across the full spectrum of naval intelligence capabilities. The ships are expected to be based on Sweden’s HMS Artemis SIGINT vessel developed by Saab. The keel-laying ceremony for Artemis was held in June 2018 at Shiprepair Yard Nauta in Gdynia, Poland. The yard belongs to the PGZ Group.
Saab announced on November 2 that HMS Artemis is undergoing sea trials in Karlskrona, Sweden. It will then be delivered to Sweden’s armed forces after the tests. Artemis will replace HMS Orion which has been in service since 1984. It is larger than her predecessor and more advanced in every aspect. Artemis is 74m long and weighs over 2,200 tons.
Saab will serve as prime contractor, designing and producing the two ships including the integration of advanced mission systems. The ships will be built by subcontractor Remontowa Shipbuilding SA in Poland. Saab did not respond to a query by Overt Defense regarding details of the contract by the time of publishing.
In a press release, Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson said:
“We are proud that Poland has selected Saab as a partner in naval intelligence ship systems. We will contribute with our capabilities by building advanced platforms with world-leading sensors, fully integrating complete mission systems, where we have long experience.”
The Polish order is expected to be booked by Saab before year end. The effectiveness of the contract is subject to the fulfilment of certain financial conditions. All conditions are expected to be fulfilled by the end of 2022.