Saab to Parallelize A-26 Submarine Production for Poland Order

Swedish defense company Saab is accelerating its production strategy for the next-generation A-26 submarines, announcing plans to manufacture the vessels simultaneously across multiple facilities to meet ambitious delivery schedules tied to a major Polish defense order.

Poland confirmed in November that it had selected Saab to supply three advanced submarines in a multi-billion-dollar procurement, a deal that forms a central pillar of Warsaw’s broader effort to strengthen its naval deterrence and security posture in the strategically sensitive Baltic Sea region.

The agreement marks a significant expansion of defense cooperation between Sweden and Poland at a time when regional maritime security has taken on heightened importance. According to Polish officials, the first of the three submarines is scheduled for delivery in 2030, a timeline that analysts have described as demanding given the technical complexity of the A-26 platform and existing order backlogs. Sweden itself has already ordered two A-26 submarines for its own navy.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an annual security conference in northern Sweden, Saab Chief Executive Micael Johansson said the company has already made targeted investments to expand industrial capacity and ensure production milestones are met.

“We will absolutely parallelize production to increase capacity,” Johansson said, explaining that Saab plans to manufacture different sections of the submarines at multiple locations simultaneously, rather than following a traditional sequential build process. This approach, he noted, is designed to shorten construction timelines while maintaining stringent quality and security standards.

Johansson confirmed that portions of the submarine hull and other components would be produced at Saab’s facility in Landskrona, in southern Sweden, alongside work conducted at additional manufacturing sites. By distributing production, Saab aims to better manage workload, reduce bottlenecks, and improve schedule resilience.

Beyond construction, Saab also plans to establish a long-term support and sustainment framework in cooperation with Polish industry. Johansson said that maintenance activities, selected upgrades, and annual inspections will be carried out at a shipyard in Poland, reinforcing local participation in the program.

“We will have two assets for that—one on the Swedish side and one on the Polish side,” he said, underscoring Saab’s intention to create a dual-nation support structure that enhances operational readiness while strengthening industrial ties.

The strategy reflects a broader trend in European defense procurement, where supplier nations increasingly integrate customer countries into production and sustainment chains. For Poland, the A-26 submarines are expected to significantly enhance undersea surveillance, deterrence, and interoperability with NATO allies, while Saab’s parallelized production model positions the company to meet rising demand across Europe’s evolving security landscape.