Babcock International (Babcock), the aerospace, defence and security company, has been selected as the platform design provider and technology partner for Poland’s MIECZNIK (Swordfish) new frigate programme, and has today concluded a set of strategic cooperation agreements with the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium, which is responsible for delivery of the project from the Polish side. The Polish Armaments Agency selected Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 (AH140) from three different platform design proposals provided by the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium. These proposals were originally down selected in July 2021. Babcock and the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium will now focus on the detailed design and systems integration planning process, which is expected to conclude in 2022.
David Lockwood, CEO Babcock said: “I’m delighted that Babcock has been selected as a platform design provider and technology partner for Poland, and that our Arrowhead 140 frigate has been chosen for Poland’s MIECZNIK programme. Its adaptability and capability mean we can tailor the design to suit the needs of the Polish Navy. Driven by innovation and backed by heritage, the Arrowhead 140 frigate has British ingenuity and engineering at its core.”
UK Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin said:“Poland is one of our oldest and closest allies, and we continue to strengthen our partnership to help deter future threats. The Arrowhead 140 frigate will be a formidable addition to Poland’s fleet, providing world-leading capabilities to Poland’s growing naval presence.”
The Polish Armaments Agency’s order of three frigates from the Consortium led by PGZ under the MIECZNIK programme will provide Poland with the sovereign capability to engage both aerial and naval threats to Polish maritime interests and to support NATO operations. Babcock will support the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium for the three AH140 frigates to be built in Polish shipyards by a local workforce, drawing significantly from Polish suppliers and Babcock’s global supply chain. Following the successful completion of the design phase, Babcock will support the MIECZNIK frigate build in Poland through a design licensing agreement, transferring knowledge and technologies to optimise Poland’s shipbuilding and industrial capabilities.
Poland’s selection of Babcock as the platform design provider for its frigate programme follows decisions by the UK and Indonesia to select the AH140 platform as the basis of their new frigate programmes in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Babcock has been working alongside the UK Government to promote the export variant AH140 frigate and its interoperability across navies in the global market, with its baseline design configurable to meet a broad range of naval requirements no matter where in the world it operates. The contract, which was awarded in November 2019, signalled another decade of ship-build activity for the historic dockyard at Rosyth. Building on the unique experience and success of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, Babcock has brought together a highly experienced and integrated project team spanning several regions of the UK, to meet the challenging Type 31 programme.
