Sword – what will it really be?

For more than three months the construction of the future ORP Wicher, a prototype frigate created as part of the program The Sword for the Polish Navy. There are still discussions about the importance of gaining three vessels of this size, and there are frequent attacks on the technical side of the project, suggesting insufficient combat and operational capabilities of these ships.

An announcement by the contractor of the fact of equipping the complete Integrated Combat System only a prototype, and leaving it in options for serial units was also read to the detriment of the program. The layering of the negative message, served mainly by poorly-acquainted commentators, as well as "internet specialists", brought the discourse on the Sword to the level of avalanche criticism unsupported by facts but emotions. In contrast, we propose to look at future Polish frigates from the perspective of reliable information that will help us understand what they are to look like and what they are to serve future ‘horses Working” Polish fleet.

Three frigates of the project 106 Miecznik builds a consortium of PGZ-Miecznik, which includes: Polish Armoured Group S.A. and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna Sp. z o.o. cooperates with them Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. and foreign partners: Babcock International Group, Thales and MBDA UK. On June 30 of that year, the consortium of PGZ-MIEKNIK and the Armed Forces Agency signed an annex to the main contract signed on July 27, 2021. Together with this, the final configuration of the prototype ship was approved and – almost – all components of its Integrated Combat System. Information on this topic has been made public and is the basis for our assessment of the Swordsmen.

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Together with the MW Swords, he will receive tools to carry out a wide range of tasks throughout, at least 30 years, their period of operation, from high intensity to humanitarian support operations and crisis management. To make this possible, units will receive the Integrated Mission System (ZSM). It is created by the aforementioned Integrated Combat System (ZSW), the Integrated Communication System (SLD) and the Integrated Navigation and Bridge System (ZSNM). In addition, ships will be equipped with the Integrated Platform Management System, whose task is to supervise the operation and control of devices and ship-wide mechanisms, as well as damage control. From the point of view of the combat capabilities, the most important frigates are the SSC and the SLD.

What will the Sword fight with?

The ZSW Swordsmen have been configured to maintain a balance between submarines, submarines and air targets. Given the set of sensors and effectors of the ZSW, our ships will not yield to units of this class of similar buoyancy, and in some respects they will retain the potential to increase the fire unit of parts of the weapon systems.

The "brain" of the ZSW will be the combat management system CMS (Compat Management System) Thales TACTICOS. Its older versions are used on three Orkan-type rocket ships and ORP Slązak patrol corvette. The swordsmen will receive the latest version of the system. Its task is to assist operators in making decisions critical of the mission. The ZSW combines data and situational awareness from on-board and external sensors (available through the SLD), supporting operators in the detection of threats, tactical decisions and the use of weapons in actual operations, as well as during training. Its operation will take place mainly in the battle centre (BCI), via 18 multi-function MOC (Mulitfunction Operator Consoles). Two extras will be in the command room with a team of ships.

One of the most important aspects of the action of the Swordsmen will be air defense and the fight against submarines (ZOP). In both cases frigates will be equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and effectors. The technical water observation system will include the NS50 general surveillance radar and the Sea Master 410 multi-function radiolocation system.

The first of these is mid-range radar (air objects detect from 180 km, water from 80 km). It uses a rotary active AESA (Active Electornically Scanned Array) antenna and works in the X band. It is referred to as "4D" because, unlike older two-ordinated systems, giving azimut and the distance to the target, it further indicates its flight altitude and approach time. Its primary task will be to locate anti-ship missiles, moving fast and at low altitude (so-called sea skimming). This will help him put the antenna on top of the mast, high above the water. In addition, it can direct cannon fire 76 mm and serve as a replacement in the event of a Sea Master 410 station failure.

The second radar is the Sea Master 410 S-band multi-function radiolocation system, with four AESA wall antennas. It is also a 4D class station that can track up to 1000 objects up to 400 km (air) or 80 km (water). The ability to "search" airspace at a long distance from the ship is its key feature. Its advantages include: detecting small targets, quick automatic tracking initiation, low level of false alarms. The system allows for simultaneous observation of airspace, helicopter control, surface surveillance and guided missile weapons.

In addition to active radio-location systems, detection, early warning and passive tracking within 360° will provide an optoelectronic IRST (InfraRed Search and Track) Artemis system. The system operates in the mid-infrared MWIR (Mid-Wave InfraRed) band and can detect small objects and track them automatically, up to a total of 200. It is particularly useful in observing incoming missiles, but also in the case of asymmetric hazards. Two ZGS-35K heads will be used for close observation.

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Thanks to these systems, frigates will be able to effectively use essential anti-aircraft weapons: Sea Ceptor with guided CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile) missiles. It is a modern, multichannel system, so it can fight several threats from different directions simultaneously. The C2 Sea Ceptora control and control system will be integrated with CMS TACTICOS via the Comat System-LAN ship network and operated from the MOC consoles at BCI. Sea Ceptora will include a PDLT (Platform Data Link) subsystem with two antennas, providing simultaneous (multi-multi-directional) two-way radio communication with all missiles in flight, aiming at their targets.

Sea Ceptor uses a CAMM missile with an active radio-location head that works in search of target and attack, so the rocket does not need to highlight the target with the ship's radio-location system, like older semi-active guided missiles, but only interacting with the PDLT link, to which data on the location of the attack object are updated. Thanks to this, as well as the method of "cold" vertical take-off and appropriate firing sequence, the system has a very short response time and is suitable for combating fast, maneuvering anti-ship missiles. CAMM will be launched from the Mk 41 VLS Strike Length launcher (four modules of eight chambers), and thanks to quad-pack cartridges, containing four rounds in the chamber, the fire unit can carry as many as 128 rockets. Data on targets for CAMMs will come from Sea Master 410 or NS50 radars.

_{Photo. Swords will have a modern layered air defense system. Its core will be CAMM missiles with an active guidance head.}

CAMM missiles are already armed with the Armed Forces of Poland. They were selected for short-range anti-aircraft anti-aircraft defense kits "small Narew" and missile-artillery Pilica+ rocket kits, hence there is no problem with their integration on Swords. At the same time, we can talk about the full unification of ship shells with terrestrial OPL systems. But it's not over. Fregates (Narew too) will be able to use CAMM-ER missiles (Extended Range; approx. 45 km range), and the future probably also CAMM-MR (Medium Range; approx. 100 km range). CAMM-ER are already in production and their size will allow the use of "four-packs" for Mk 41 launcher chambers.

On the other hand, CAMM-MR is to be a medium-range and long-range capture missile developed jointly by the UK and Poland industries as part of the Future Common Missile programme (CAMM-MR is also to act as a "low-cost" interceptor missile for anti-aircraft and anti-missile mid-range Vistula missile kits). If it appears in the Polish arsenal and is integrated with CMS on the Swords, these ships will have a multilayer, very effective air defence system (CAMM, CAMM-ER, CAMM-MR, Strales, OSU-35K), which in principle surpasses the ground parameters of OPL SZ RP systems, which are in the creation phase. Only the latest and most expensive frigates and destroyers with a limited number of NATO countries have these capabilities.

Priority was also given to the ZOP cases. The frigates will be equipped with a hydrolocation system, consisting of a hull sonar with an antenna in the Blue Hunter pear (Kingklip Mk 2), a low frequency towed sonar CAPTAS-2 (a part active at the end of the antenna containing two ring and passive pickups, a receiving linear antenna with sensitive hydrophones) and a DSS-03 sonar for the detection of diversions and underwater vehicles. This extended system will allow detection of silent, exhaust-electric submarines, including AIP-equipped submarines, but also approaching torpedoes.

For the control of submarines, 324 mm light electric torpedoes MU90 Impact, fired from two launchers and dropped from an on-board helicopter (this will only be selected in the Condor program). MU90 are well known to Polish sailors. OORP frigates Gen. K. Pulaski and Gen. T. Kościuszko and Mi-14PŁ and SH-2G helicopters have been their carriers for two decades. The swordsmen will, on the other hand, receive the latest version, in which the "hard kill" self-defense mode was introduced, which will allow the destruction of torpedoes launched from the enemy's submarine.

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The names Starles and OSU-35K were given when describing anti-aircraft systems, which require clarification. Swords had an artillery weaponry system with 76.2 mm L/62 Leonardo OTO Super Rapid cannon with Strales package. Allows the use of DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of Flight) ammunition with a revised flight path. The missile launched from the cannon has rudders and radio signal receiver, so it can update its position towards the target. This allows small and fast objects, such as anti-ship missiles, to be wiped through the Sea Ceptora. The cannon fire control will be carried out by the STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 system (for ORP Slazak), or the said radar NS50. In addition to the "seven-six" Swordsmen will receive two AM-35K cannons of the ship's weapons system OSU-35K (as on serial Kormoran II mine destroyers), firing programmable ammunition SAP-35.

The RESM (Radar Electronic Support Measures) and CESM (Communications Electronic Support Measures) will complement ship defence measures. The first serves for passive detection, classification and identification of enemy radiolocation emissions. On the basis of a comparative analysis with records in the data library, the system will allow to separate those that come from alien ships (fire control systems, "war" radars, anti-ship missiles, etc.) from signals of harmless navigation radars. It will generate alerts in time to take countermeasures. Its advantage is at the same time a greater range of operation than a transmitter, i.e. RESM will detect the signal from a longer distance than the Radar Sword on an enemy ship. In turn, CESM is used to capture radio communications. It allows to determine the direction and location of the radio transmitter and generate alarms. It is also possible to eavesdrop communication and its subsequent offline analysis. The details of this sensitive sphere have not yet been made public. The frigates will also have passive disruptors launchers, but the contractor does not want to reveal the details of this sensitive sphere.

The swordsmen will receive strong weapons to destroy surface targets. We specifically named them that because guided anti-ship missiles RBS-15 Mk3E can damage marine but also land targets, with known coordinates, at a distance "more than 200 km". A typical fire unit may be eight transport-start containers, but this number can be doubled if necessary. This weapon is already known to Poles (he came across Orkans).

Large platform

The frigate platform is based on the commercial project Babckock Arrowhead 140, derived from the proven Danish type Iver Huitfeldt. The buoyancy of the Swordpiece will be approx. 7000 t, total length 138.7 m, maximum width 19.75 m, drive in the CODAD system with four MTU diesel engines with a total power of 33.6 MW and two adjustable screws, providing a maximum speed of +26 in and 12 in. and a range of 8000 mm. The power plant consists of four generators with power of 1400 kWe (current 440 V, 60 Hz).

The Integrated Navigation Bridge and Tactical Navigation System will be based on OSI Maritime Systems products integrated by PGZ War Shipyard.

It is possible to take two 7.5 m boats and a 11 m pair of boats and a reconfigureable space ( accommodates four TEU containers or 20 pallets and two TEUs). This will facilitate ship control, anti-piracy and anti-trafficking operations. The swordsmen will have rooms for 187 people.

The size and capacity of the platform, but also the open CMS architecture, will allow you to modify the ZSW in the future and facilitate ship modernisation. In addition to the new anti-aircraft missiles mentioned above, the ability to use long-range missiles is being considered. In a technical sense, there will be no problem with including the weaponry of this money in the arsenal of frigates. Everything depends on political decisions and funding.

Are they needed?

The most serious argument of the critics of Swordfish is "the hail of Russian anti-ship missiles", which will be fired from the royal circuit. Selected for the frigate of the ZSW will enable ships to combat all targets and defend against the most serious threats. Multi-layered air defence system, comprising CAMM missiles with a range of 1 to 25 km, CAMM-ER up to 45 km, potentially CAMM-MR up to 100 km and barrel armaments: 76 mm cannon up to 5 km and 35 mm AM-35K to approx. 5 km, will allow point defense, as well as the creation of an umbrella over the team of ships (ships) and facilities in the coastal belt (industrial, Marine Rocket Unit, etc.). Equally impressive are the abilities of the other ingredients of ZSW, whose details show the graphics. The presence of ships of such potential alone is a deterrent.

It should also be remembered that in the context of the conflict, Polish frigates will not operate alone, while their total fire force outweighs the potential of the opponent. Even if not all are available at one moment, they will become part of a team of ships, such as NATO, in which other units with complementary combat systems will operate. Collective defense will be a guarantee of safety by "gradem" (if it is also fully available to the aggressor...). In addition, a saturate missile attack from different directions in the realities of the Baltic, without ruling in the air, would be very difficult to implement. Given the current political situation on this watershed, basically surrounded by NATO states, the potential opponent will have a very difficult task. In the worst scenario, so a saturatory attack, the Swordfish will have a very good chance of coming out with a defensive hand.

Read more: https://portalstoczowy.pl/polska-marine-war-in-context-Russian-risks/

In addition, equipped with modern radars and other sensors, Polish frigates will be integrated into the national early warning system against aerial assault measures, while being less vulnerable to destruction, because they are highly mobile and act effectively in motion, unlike land counterparts. An example of the effectiveness of such a solution may be the recent USS Carney destroyer action type DDG 51. On October 19, a ship operating in the Red Sea detected and intercepted three manoeuvring missiles launched by Huti rebels from Yemen's territory, possibly against targets in Israel. Let us also mention a 30-year-old unit equipped with the Aegis AN/SPY-1 system with PESA passive antennas and armed with SM-2 and ESSM missiles with semi-active guidance system. Against this background, Swords with AESA radar and active missiles constitute a generational leap.

In divorcing the "bore" aspect of the Swordsmen's activities, you must not forget your daily service. In it they will be floating embassies of the Republic, building the image of the country on a global scale, and also presenting the possibilities of our industry. Thanks to its high seaworthiness and autonomy, they will address the challenges of protecting shipping, long-term surveillance and protecting critical infrastructure.

The swordsmen are "sanctioned" to participate in the permanent frigate teams of SNMG (Standing NATO Maritime Groups 1/2). The presentation of the Polish flag in these elite groups operating in northern and southern Europe and in the Atlantic, acting as a deterrent to the rapid response forces during peace and entering into action first in the event of a conflict, would be a major contribution of Poland to the Alliance. In addition, as part of allied support, ships with such air defense potential may be part of US Navy and NATO airport groups. Other European fleets are already sending their frigates and destroyers to cover US aircraft carriers. So it can be imagined that in a decade the group can be joined by frigates with a white-red flag, inducing the rank of Polish naval forces on the international stage.

Written by: Tomasz Grotnik