Sweden formalises Polish submarine crew training and Södermanland lease

Sweden has put the domestic contract in place for training Polish submarine crews and leasing HSwMS Södermanland to Poland. Signed on 12 October 2026 between the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Armed Forces, the agreement turns the interim arrangement agreed in June into a working programme that is meant to keep Polish underwater capability alive until the first Saab A26 arrives in 2031.

From the Gdynia signing to an executable contract

The October step follows the government-level deal struck in Gdynia on 29 June 2026. According to the Swedish government, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson met his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk there, and the two sides announced that the Orka submarine agreement had been signed. Under it, Poland is buying three A26-type submarines from Saab. Swedish media put the overall package at close to SEK 50 billion.

A separate agreement signed at the same ceremony covers the lease. FMV and Poland’s Armament Agency (Agencja Uzbrojenia) agreed that Södermanland would be leased for a contract period running from October 2026 to October 2032. Polish outlets have reported the lease, including equipment, weapons, technical support and training, at around SEK 1.9 billion; that figure does not appear in Swedish official statements.

The 12 October contract settles who does what on the Swedish side. FMV, which holds the obligations towards Poland, has now formally tasked the Navy with delivering them. Naval News reported on 13 October that the 1st Submarine Flotilla and the Naval Warfare Centre run the training with FMV support, and that the Swedish Navy keeps responsibility for basic maintenance of the boat during the lease.

Eighteen months in Karlskrona

Training started before the paperwork was finished. The Swedish Armed Forces said on 24 August that around 30 Polish submariners had arrived in Karlskrona. The first phase covered damage control at the Naval Warfare School, with language instruction provided through Litorina Folk High School. In October the 1st Submarine Flotilla took over and began the submarine-specific phase aboard Södermanland itself.

The full course runs for 18 months and is due to finish in early 2028. The Swedish Navy points out that this is the same length as training for a Swedish submarine crew, covering safety procedures as well as the boat’s systems, equipment and weapons. Peter Östbring, deputy commander of the flotilla, said Poland had chosen Sweden as its strategic partner for underwater capabilities and that the flotilla looked forward to deeper cooperation.

Sweden has done this before, with crews from Australia, Singapore and Denmark, the last of which leased the submarine Näcken. In June the Armed Forces said the actual hand-over of Södermanland for Polish operation was planned from 2028, which lines up with the end of the training cycle.

An upgraded Cold War hull

Södermanland was launched in 1988 as the third boat of the Västergötland class. Between 2000 and 2004 she and her sister Östergötland were lengthened by about 12 metres and fitted with Stirling air-independent propulsion, a conversion extensive enough that the pair were redesignated as the Södermanland class. With Östergötland retired in 2021, Södermanland is the last of her line; she went through a further life-extension programme in 2022.

For Poland, the value lies in hands-on time with a Western AIP submarine. The Polish Navy’s only active boat is the Kilo-class ORP Orzeł, in service since 1986. The A26 deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2031 and run to 2038, so the lease effectively bridges a gap that would otherwise leave Polish submariners without a modern platform for most of a decade.

Strategic weight in the Baltic

The deal sits inside the Baltic Sea Pact the two prime ministers announced in Gdynia, which Stockholm describes as resting on security and defence cooperation, military cooperation and a defence-industrial partnership. The Swedish government also listed support to Poland’s new-type submarine programme for 2027 to 2038 and Polish participation in trials of the Swedish Navy’s own A26 boats, HSwMS Blekinge and HSwMS Skåne.

For NATO, two allies operating the same submarine family in the Baltic means shared training pipelines, common logistics and closer tactical alignment in a sea where undersea cables and energy links have become a recurring security concern. Naval News also flagged possible cooperation with Poland’s Ratownik submarine rescue ship programme, a further sign that the relationship is being built across the whole underwater domain rather than around a single purchase.

Sources

• Naval News, “Sweden Formalizes Interim Submarine Training and Södermanland Lease for Poland”, 13 October 2026 (non-official, citing the Swedish Navy) — October contract, training units, maintenance responsibility, Ratownik. navalnews.com
• Defence24, 12 October 2026 (non-official) — 12 October contract between FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces. defence24.pl
• Government of Sweden, press release on Poland’s submarine procurement and strategic cooperation, 29 June 2026 (official) — Gdynia meeting, three A26, Baltic Sea Pact, training and trials participation. government.se
• FMV, “FMV ingår avtal med Polen om uthyrning av ubåt”, June 2026 (official) — lease period October 2026 to October 2032, agreement with Poland’s Armament Agency. fmv.se
• Swedish Armed Forces, “Kontrakt med Polen om utbildning samt uthyrning av ubåt”, 30 June 2026 (official) — 18-month training, Karlskrona, lease planned from 2028, earlier foreign crews. forsvarsmakten.se
• Swedish Armed Forces / 1st Submarine Flotilla, 24 August 2026 (official) — around 30 Polish submariners, training phases, Peter Östbring quote. forsvarsmakten.se
• Portal Stoczniowy, 13 October 2026, and SVT (non-official) — reported SEK 1.9 billion lease value, SEK 50 billion package, A26 delivery schedule.