Babcock Lands Polish Defence Contracts.

The UK Government has this week signed major major defence equipment agreements with Poland’s military capability.

At the Zamość Military Base in Poland this week, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak signed an Air Defence Complex Weapons Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This enables the UK and Poland to cooperate in the development and manufacture of current and future complex weapons, further strengthening the relationship built through the Defence and Security Cooperation Treaty (2017) and deepening the interoperability of our Armed Forces.

The Ministers also signed the Arrowhead-140 Statement of Intent which provides a framework for the UK Government and The Government of Poland to collaborate on the procurement and operation of three Arrowhead-140 frigates. The Polish Frigates will be a variant of the Arrowhead-140.

Babcock International, based in Rosyth, has won the contract to build three frigates in Polish shipyards after securing a design contract for the Polish Navy. Earlier this year, Babcock was chosen as the platform design provider and technology partner’ for Poland’s new frigate programme. The Arrowhead 140 design, known as the Type 31 Frigate in British service, will be known as the Swordfish class in Polish service. The independent UK Defence journal has outlined the broader benefits to Scotland of this deal, including the retention of intellectual property and cost benefits to maintenance and supply lines in the long term.

Babcock will be supporting the Polish PGZ-MIECZNIK shipbuilding consortium in the building of three Swordfish class frigates in Polish shipyards by a local workforce, drawing from Polish suppliers as well as Babcock’s supply chain. Last month, Babcock announced the have won two further contracts, the first, is the Class Design Contract and second, the Transfer of Knowledge & Technology framework agreement.

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