Poland has begun the launch process for the first of three new Miecznik-class frigates being built for its navy, marking a major milestone in the country’s largest naval shipbuilding program.
The hull of the first frigate, ORP Wicher, emerged from a shipbuilding hall at the PGZ Stocznia Wojenna shipyard in Gdynia on Sunday night, beginning a multi-day operation to place the approximately 6,000-tonne vessel in the water.
Kadłub pierwszej z trzech fregat programu „Miecznik” częściowo opuścił halę kadłubową i zatrzymał się przed nabrzeżem. W @PGZ_pl Stoczni Wojennej trwa wielodniowa operacja, której finałem będzie wodowanie przyszłego ORP „Wicher”.@MarWojRP @MON_GOV_PL pic.twitter.com/K2YLgIZnjT
— Gdynia (@MiastoGdynia) August 10, 2026
The ship is due to be formally named and christened on Wednesday before being launched into the Gulf of Gdańsk on Thursday. The unfinished vessel will then be returned to the shipyard for further outfitting and testing.
Wicher is the first of three frigates being built under Poland’s Miecznik program, which is intended to provide the Polish Navy with a new backbone of multi-role surface combatants. The two other ships, Burza and Huragan, are already under construction.
The program is scheduled for completion by the end of 2031, with Wicher expected to enter Polish Navy service in 2029.
New frigates for Baltic operations
The Miecznik frigates are based on British defense company Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design. The ships will be about 138-140 meters long, with a displacement of roughly 7,000 tonnes when fully equipped.
They are being designed for a range of missions, including air defense, anti-ship warfare and anti-submarine operations, as well as protection of maritime infrastructure and shipping routes.
The ships are expected to carry Mk 41 vertical launch systems and CAMM-family air-defense missiles, along with anti-ship missiles, naval guns and torpedoes.
The vessels will also be capable of operating with NATO forces, supporting Poland’s efforts to strengthen its naval presence in the Baltic Sea amid growing regional security concerns.
Polish-led industrial program
The Miecznik program is being led by a Polish consortium involving state-owned defense group Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), PGZ Stocznia Wojenna and Remontowa Shipbuilding, working with international technology partners including Babcock, Thales and MBDA.
⚓ #Wicher nadchodzi! ⚓
Za nami kolejny ważny etap przygotowań do wodowania pierwszej fregaty programu Miecznik. Wczoraj w PGZ @StoczniaWojenna przeprowadzono kolejny etap operacji: roll-out kadłuba przyszłego ORP „Wicher”.
🚢 Kadłub po raz pierwszy częściowo opuścił Halę… pic.twitter.com/3q64t99KXe
— Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa🇵🇱 (@PGZ_pl) August 10, 2026
The program is intended not only to deliver three modern frigates but also to expand Poland’s domestic naval shipbuilding and systems-integration capabilities.
The name Wicher, meaning “gale” in Polish, revives the name of a pre-war Polish destroyer that defended the Polish coast during the German invasion in 1939. The original Wicher was sunk by German aircraft off the Hel Peninsula on Sept. 3, 1939.
The launch of the new Wicher marks the transition of the Miecznik program from hull construction toward the next stages of equipment installation, integration and testing as Poland works toward rebuilding its surface fleet.