Corvette Sharp for the Navy of Poland. After the Sword comes the question of smaller ships

The Ostrosz program can become the most important naval project of the Polish Navy after the Swordfish frigates. The announcement of gaining four corvettes shows that the fleet is to return to the thought of a permanent presence in the Baltic rather than just a few large ships.

Sharp as a new question about the shape of the fleet

This year's Defence24 Days edition showed that the conversation about the Polish Navy begins to go beyond the two loudest modernization programs. It's not just about when the frigates enter the service. program Miecznik programme and whether the decision will finally be made in the programme Eagle.

An additional question mark remains the thread of smaller submarines, referred to as "mini-Orka". The concept itself is not meaningless. In the Baltic, such ships could be relevant, among others, in identifying, supervising approaches to ports, protecting critical maritime infrastructure and activities in shallow waters. The problem only begins when the "mini-Orka" is presented as gap-filler for the delayed main submarine program. One interviewer put it bluntly at the conference, saying that it would be an attempt to "animate a dead body in a closet." In other words, valuable ability can help fill the gap, but should not cover the fundamental question of the future Orka program.

This leads to a more important question: what kind of fleet Poland will have after 2030 and whether it will be able to continue to be present in the Baltic, not only to participate in exercises, parades and individual allied missions.

In this context, one of the most important signals of the conference was the announcement of the acquisition of four multi-tasking corvettes of the programme Crude. This is not a simple rename of the program Murena. As noted after the panel, Murena It was meant to be about the successors of small rocket ships, Whereas Crude refers to corvette. This means moving away from the MOR concept to the larger corvette class ships.

The code name itself quickly began to live his own life. So it is worth reminding what a sharp dracon is. It is one of the most venomous fish in European waters: small, bottomless and inconspicuous, but very unpleasant with close contact. As the name of the Corvette program fits surprisingly well. It is not about ships the size of a frigate, but about individuals that are to be a difficult opponent in the Baltic and a real complement to a heavier water component.

Corvettes Ostrosz instead of small rocket ships

Over the years, in the public debate, the argument that Baltic is small enough that Poland does not need larger warships. It's a convenient simplification, but it doesn't describe reality very well.

To a sailor, the Baltic is not a peaceful lake. It's a demanding water, where short wavestrong wind, limited manoeuvring space, high volume of navigation and saturation with means of detection create an environment difficult for small ships.

That's why going back to corvette is a logical decision. The corvette will not replace the frigate, but it can give the Navy of Poland what the frigates themselves will not provide on a sufficient scale: more ships capable of being present at sea, responding to threats towards Russia, shielding critical maritime infrastructure and interacting with allies.

Crude as the second level of marine water forces

Three frigates of the program Miecznik programme will be the most important water element of the Polish Navy. However, their number will remain limited. Ships of this class should not be directed to any task which requires only the presence, recognition or patrol of the designated area.

This is where the Corvettes come in. program Crude. If these assumptions are maintained, new ships can create a second tier of water forces: smaller than the Sword, cheaper in operation but still capable of real combat in the Baltic.

This is also important from the point of view of everyday presence at sea. The fleet cannot rely solely on several large ships. He also needs units that will be able to perform patrol, inspection and reconnaissance tasks without excessive use of the most valuable frigates.

At this point, however, the question arises whether the Ostrosz program will not become a "small Sword". If the corvette is burdened with too wide a list of requirements, the program will soon cease to be a means of increasing the number of ships in the sea, and will become another costly undertaking beneficial primarily to arms suppliers and combat systems. The point of the corvet is to give the fleet more mass, availability and permanent presence on the Baltic. If they start to cost as high-end ships, it will be worth asking whether simpler and faster built units would not respond better to some of the everyday needs of MW RP.

Not the ships themselves, but the entire fleet system

During Defence24 Days, it was not just about corvettes. The plans for the development of the Polish Navy until 2039 also include hydrographic units, tankers, logistics support vessel, transport and mine ships and unmanned systems.

This shows that the fleet is beginning to be treated not as a collection of single flags, but as a system. And that's where the hardest part begins.

The frigate, corvette or submarine are the most visible element of the naval forces. Without recognition, hydrography, logistics, training, refurbishment facilities and an efficient command system, however, remain expensive platforms. Defense of maritime critical infrastructure, control of waters and fight against underwater threats require the entire capacity chain.

Unmanned change action on the Baltic

Unmanned systems were a separate topic of the conference. In naval forces they are no longer an addition to classic ships. They are to become one of the foundations of future action at sea.

Unmanned submarines, submarines and aircraft will work with crew ships, increasing the range of reconnaissance and reducing response times. This is particularly important in the Baltic. Distances are small, time to decide short, and critical infrastructure dispersed.

In such an environment, not the one who has only the largest vessel, but the one who detects the threat more quickly, will properly recognize them and will have them at hand. reaction measures.

Sharp can be the most important program in Swordfish

Defence24 Days 2026 showed that Polish Navy Poland has more and more announced programs, but the real test will be their selection, funding and arrangement into a coherent system. This is an important change, because over the years, the debate on the fleet has been too crowded to ask whether Poland needs a navy at all.

Today the question is different: how quickly will you be able to translate this vision into decisions, contracts, schedules and real ships. However, it will be equally important that the new programmes do not grow beyond the original assumptions.

Programme Crude may become one of the most important water projects of the Swordfish. It can also share the fate of earlier concepts, which looked good in presentations, but did not get a keel. The difference between these scenarios does not depend on the code name itself, but on funding, reasonably set requirements and consequences of driving modernization of MW RP.

For several years we have also seen a continuity that cannot be overlooked. Names and political environment are changing, but the environment of those affected by the most important ship programs remains largely the same. Also the decision of this group will depend on which company will be given the chance to build corvettes for MW of Poland under the programme Crude.

Is the program Crude Will it go from the announcement phase to the realization? All points to a yes. So the real question is not only "when" and "with whom", but also "for how much" and in which configuration. Because if Ostrosz is to really strengthen the Polish Navy, he cannot become a smaller copy of the Sword. It should give the fleet what is most lacking today: accessibility, presence at sea and the ability to act quickly in the Baltic.