Poland to Consider Options to Modernize Patrol Ship Ślązak into Corvette

4 January, 2025 A Patrol corvette Slazak of the Polish Navy. Photo credits: portalmorski.pl The Ministry of National Defense of Poland plans to rearm the patrol ship Slazak, thus turning it into a multi-purpose corvette.

This was reported by Defence24. The publication refers to a document published on December 30, 2024 by the Arms Agency, which announces the intention to carry out a thorough modernization of the patrol ship Slazak. In particular, it is planned to equip the ship with an anti-aircraft missile system (SAM), anti-ship missiles (ASM) and to give it the ability to use drones and conduct radar reconnaissance.

The command bridge of the ship Slazak

However, as the publication notes, a specific modernization plan has not yet been approved.

It should be preceded by preliminary market consultations, which will subsequently allow for the preparation of a description of the subject of the order, and therefore determine the required budget. The market consultation will also determine:

• the scope of the required training package for the ship's crew and military repair bodies as part of the modernization of the patrol corvette.
• the scope of the required logistics package.
• the possibility of retrofitting in due time, in particular on the basis of the existing technical solutions and production capacities of one of the Polish shipyards.

However, it is noted that the Arms Agency had set a high pace in that regard, as entities interested in participating in the program had until January 17, 2025 to submit the necessary documentation. The most important aspect of these projects should be "documentation of stability and unsinkability after modernization with new equipment", which Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa will provide in accordance with an agreement concluded in August 2022 with the Gdynia Naval Port Command.

It is noted that the modernization was planned during dock repairs, after 5 years of service in 2025. Slazak was built at the Stocznia Marynarki Wojennej shipyard. The ship was laid down on November 28, 2001.

For financial reasons, the ship's construction was repeatedly suspended. Therefore, the hull was launched only in 2015. Two years later, on December 11, 2017, the ship was completed.

However, due to a lack of funding, the project was simplified, and instead of a multi-purpose corvette equipped with SAMs, air defense systems, and torpedoes, the ship was completed as a patrol ship equipped with only cannon weapons.

A 30 mm Leonardo Oto Marlin-WS at the ORP Slazak. Photo credits: Ministry of National Defense of Poland

The patrol ship Slazak was commissioned into the Polish Navy in 2019.

This completed 18 years of construction of the first Polish corvette built after 1991. The plans to transform the patrol ship Slazak into a full-fledged multifunctional corvette were already announced in 2021. Among the possible systems that were considered at the time were Swedish RBS15 Mk3 surface-to-air missiles and European MU90 light torpedoes.

However, it is likely that the choice will now be made in favor of Norwegian NSMs, as these are the systems planned to be installed on future Polish frigates Miecznik and used by the Polish army as coastal anti-ship systems.