Today baptism, tomorrow Wicher will come to the Gulf of Gdańsk. That's how the Swordfish will be armed.

On 12 August, a baptism and naming of the first frigate of the program The sword of the future ORP took place in the PGZ of Gdynia Shipyard. Wind (274). Tomorrow the frigate will be on the water for the first time. Bark Boabarge 33 will go to the Gulf of Gdańsk, where during controlled immersion the Wicher will gain its own buoyancy.

At first, it is worth arranging the naming. Although the frigate received the name Wicher during today's celebration, on the Shipyard Portal we will continue to write the future ORP Wind. We will stop using the word "future" only when a white-red flag is raised on the ship and it is formally admitted to service in the Navy. According to the current timetable, transfer First Sword is planned for 2029.

But today’s baptism was a special moment. After years of discussion about the need to rebuild the Polish fleet at the shipyard wharf, the largest warship built in Poland was established. The hull, which was still in the assembly hall a few days ago, could be seen entirely, already with number 274 and the name it will bear for decades.

I'll add two things from myself. For me, the most important thing in today's celebration, apart from the raised moment of smashing a bottle of champagne into the hull, was that the Wicher ceased to be a visualization, a name with a contract and another position in the schedule. He came out of the hall and showed the scale of what actually arises on Gdynia Oxyvia. Now the most important will be to complete the construction, complete equipment of the ship, carry out tests and deliver the Polish Navy with the frigates with the capabilities for which Poland paid. Only then can you say that program MIecznik He has achieved his most important goal.

The second thing to note is the presence at the ceremony of the person who played a key role in giving the program The sword of its current shape and bringing to the start the construction of three frigates. Despite political divisions, no one tried to ignore this fact or to detract from the role of those associated with the earlier stage of the programme. This may seem like a small gesture, but it is in such undertakings that it matters. Ship construction takes longer than one term, so continuity of decision and recognition of work done earlier are simply needed.

Baptism Burza attended by the President and Prime Minister

At a ceremony at the South Coast PGZ Naval Shipyard President Karol Nawrocki, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, representatives of the government, the Ministry of National Defence, the Navy, the Polish Armed Forces Group and industry participated. The ceremony was opened by PGZ president Marcin Ryngwelski.

Ryngwelski recalled the scale of the undertaking and the work done in Gdynia. Preparing the first frigate for the current stage required hundreds of thousands of man-hours, and the ready-made ship will consist of over a million parts. However, the President of the yard stressed that construction Burza People stand above all else. When welcoming guests, he addressed special words to the workers of the shipyard, pointing out that every day he looked at them and their work with great pride.

He also talked about the competences rebuilt thanks to the program Miecznik in the Polish ship industry and the importance of the strong Navy for the security of Poland. In this context, he addressed young people by encouraging them to choose technical schools, universities and maritime professions. As he stressed, the profession of a shipbuilder becomes an attractive professional again.

It's an important part of the whole program. The three frigates are not only to be new ships for the Navy, but also to allow Poland to rebuild its ability to build large and complex warships. President Karol Nawrocki also referred to this aspect, who recalled the many years' underinvestment of the Navy and defined the launch of the programme Sword as a breakthrough for fleet and national shipbuilding.

The President also pointed out the security situation in the Baltic, the presence of Russian naval forces, the activity of the so-called shadow fleet and activities carried out below the threshold of open conflict. He stressed that Polish sailors should receive state-of-the-art equipment, and the state must bring the construction of all three frigates to an end. At the same time, he announced that regardless of the outcome of the 2027 parliamentary elections he would seek that program MIecznik has been fully realized. As the President said:

Polish sailor should use the best equipment in the world.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk attended today's celebration to the continuity of the programme run by subsequent governments. He stressed that the construction of the frigate is a project going beyond one term and requires consequences also from subsequent ruling teams.

My successors' efforts were also needed, and this government's efforts are needed. And it will require the efforts of future governments, regardless of the political prowess, so that Wicher, Storm, Hurricane can already serve their guard at sea.

Donald Tusk, President of the Council of Ministers

Prime Minister Tusk also stressed the importance of shipbuilding, ports, offshore wind energy and the emerging energy infrastructure. In this regard, the development of the Navy is not separated from the maritime economy, as new ships are intended to protect both the Polish coast and the increasingly important infrastructure located in the Baltic Sea.

The Earth Agata named frigate Wind

The godmother of the prototype frigate was Agata Earthska, professionally associated with the Board of the Maritime Port of Gdynia, privately married to the Naval Inspector Deputy Admiral Jarosław Earthska. After the ship was sacrificed, she cut the line triggering the mechanism with a bottle of champagne that crashed into the hull in the bow section of the ship.

Deputy Admiral Jarosław Zienański pointed out the military dimension of the whole event. Baptism gives the ship a name and tradition, but a real warship will make the frigate its future crew, training sailors and acquired combat capabilities.

This is particularly important right now, because today’s celebration does not mean the completion of construction. Before our frigate remains the assembly of parts of equipment, integration of the combat system, launching of individual devices, tests and subsequent tests and receptions.

Wind yet no underwater equipment

One of the best visible evidence that the construction is still ongoing is the absence of a forward tide of hull sonar. Wind will be launched without this element, as the flow line protrudes below the fuselage bottom, which would make it difficult to transport frigates on multi-axial SPMT platforms and its positioning on the support of the semi-sunurnal barge. At a later stage of construction, the frigate will enter the dock, where work will be done on the underwater part of the hull, including the installation of the sonar flow.

The ship will eventually receive an extensive set of hydroacoustic devices. It consists of the Thales Blue Hunter hull hydrolocation station, a towed station with variable depths of Thales CAPTAS-2 and the Wavefront Sentinel IDS system designed to detect divers and small underwater objects. The equipment will be supplemented by a batimetric probe and a Thales TUUM-6 hydrophone.

Blue Hunter will be the primary source of information about the underwater situation in the immediate vicinity of the frigate, while CAPTAS-2 will allow the search of submarines to be conducted using an antenna lowered to the desired depth. The combination of the two systems is important in the Baltic, where hydrological conditions and reverberation may limit the effectiveness of hull sonar.

32 Mk 41 and up to 128 CAMMs

The most important element of the rocket frigate weaponry Wind four eight-chamber Lockheed Martin Mk 41 vertical launcher modules. In total The frigate will receive 32 chambers. From the launcher will be fired primarily anti-aircraft missiles directed MBDA CAMM system Sea Ceptor.

Thanks to ExLS modules, four CAMMs can be placed in one Mk 41 chamber. Assuming the use of all 32 chambers exclusively for this type of rocket, the maximum number of missiles on the ship would be 128. This number results from the ability to configure the launcher, but does not mean that Wind He'll go out into the sea with such a set of weapons every time. Its actual composition will be selected for the task performed.

This advanced anti-aircraft defense will be one of the most important capabilities of the new frigates. The ship is to protect not only itself, but also other units operating in the team and the selected areas within the range of its sensors and weapons.

Mk 41 launchers leave the possibility of expanding frigate weapons in subsequent years. Alongside CAMM and CAMM-ER, CAMM-MR can also appear in the future, developed jointly by MBDA and PGZ, among others with the Sword. However, the introduction of another type of missile will require its integration into the battle management system and ship sensors.

NSM missiles to combat submarines

In order to combat water targets, the Wicher will receive missiles Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile. The current configuration provides for two quadruple launchers, or eight ready to launch NSM missiles.

It is worth recalling that initially the Swedish RBS15 was predicted for the Swordsmen. However, the configuration was changed during the implementation of the programme and in annex 5 to the contract they were replaced by Norwegian NSM missiles, which are already used by Polish Marine Rocket Units.

The main artillery weaponry will be placed on the bow of the Leonardo OTO Melar Super Rapid 76 mm version Strales. The system can be used both to combat water and coastal targets and to defend against air threats.

Defence at smaller distances will be provided by two Polish ship-based weapons systems PIT-Radwar OSU-35K with 35 mm caliber cannons, supported by optoelectronic heads ZGS-35K. The weapons will be supplemented by large caliber machine guns.

Two double B515/2V launchers for light MU90 torpedoes are provided to combat submarines. In conjunction with the hull sonar, CAPTAS-2 and the future onboard helicopter will give this frigate an opportunity conduct the activities of the SOP in a much larger area than the use of sensors mounted on the hull.

Such configured weaponry means that Wicher will be able to combat air, water and underwater targets at the same time, and its design also leaves the possibility of further developing some of the capabilities in subsequent years. The basic armament configuration is already known: 32 Mk 41 chambers, eight NSM missiles, 76 mm cannon, two Polish OSU-35K sets and MU90 torpedoes.

Radars and combat management system

Weapons alone wouldn't have much value without an extensive array of sensors. The Wicher will receive long-range Thales Sea Master 410 multi-function radar, medium-range Thales NS58 radar, and STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 fire steering radar. Additionally, there is a system of identification of "self-aliens", optoelectronic heads and radio-electronic recognition and combat devices.

The whole will be merged by Thales' combat management system. It is in it that information from radars, hydrolocation stations, radio-electronic combat devices and other sensors will be collected and then used to develop an image of the situation and use of weapons. The ship will also feature integrated navigation, communication and platform management systems.

Additional self-defense layer will provide Term C-Guard, using virtual target launchers designed to counter missile and torpedoes. The deployment of the launcher allows the ship to be protected in the 360-degree sector, and the system will be connected to the ship's combat management system.

The largest combat ship in the history of the Polish Navy

Future ORP Wind It is 138.7 metres long, over 20 metres wide, and its full buoyancy will be about 7000 tonnes. After entering the service, it will become the largest combat ship in the history of the Polish Navy.

By comparison, Oliver Hazard Perry frigates currently in operation have a full buoyancy of about 3900 tonnes. However, the difference is not limited to size. Swords are intended to provide the Polish fleet with the ability to defend the anti-aircraft team, fight submarines (ZOP) and to carry out activities against vessels at an unattainable level for our fleet's current frigates.

Tomorrow the most important stage – Wind It'll hit the water.

Today's baptism and naming did not complete the operation that started last weekend. Her most important technical stage is still ahead of us.

Tomorrow, August 13th, half-sun barge Boabarge 33 with the future ORP Wind will leave the PGZ War Shipyard and go to the Gulf of Gdańsk. Controlled filling of ballast barge tanks will begin in the selected area of suitable depth. With the increase of its immersion, the water will gradually reach the hull of the frigate until the Wicher has its own buoyancy and will actually be on the water for the first time.

Only then will you be able to talk about the completion of a few-day launching operation. Once separated from the barge, the frigate will be taken over by tugboats and escorted to the PGZ War Shipyard, where another, long stage of arming the ship will begin at the equipment wharf.

Today was part of the ceremony, tradition, and people that Wichra build. Tomorrow will be the time for the most important of the last few operations – the exit of the barge to the Gulf of Gdańsk and the right launching the first Polish frigates built under the Swordfish Program.