Babcock selected by Polish Armaments Agency for new Polish frigates.

According to a PR published by Babcock on March 4, 2022, the company, has been selected as the platform design provider and technology partner for Poland’s MIECZNIK new frigate program and has concluded a set of strategic cooperation agreements with the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium, which is responsible for delivery of the project from the Polish side.
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Model of future Babcock's Arrowhead 140 design at DSEI (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

The Polish Armaments Agency selected Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 (AH140) from three different platform design proposals provided by the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium. These proposals were originally down-selected in July 2021. Babcock and the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium will now focus on the detailed design and systems integration planning process, which is expected to conclude in 2022.

The Polish Armaments Agency’s order of three frigates from the Consortium led by PGZ under the MIECZNIK program will provide Poland with the sovereign capability to engage both aerial and naval threats to Polish maritime interests and to support NATO operations.

Babcock will support the PGZ-MIECZNIK Consortium for the three AH140 frigates to be built in Polish shipyards by a local workforce, drawing significantly from Polish suppliers and Babcock’s global supply chain.

Following the successful completion of the design phase, Babcock will support the MIECZNIK frigate build in Poland through a design licensing agreement, transferring knowledge and technologies to optimise Poland’s shipbuilding and industrial capabilities.

Poland’s selection of Babcock as the platform design provider for its frigate program follows decisions by the UK and Indonesia to select the AH140 platform as the basis of their new frigate programs in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

Babcock has been working alongside the UK Government to promote the export variant AH140 frigate and its interoperability across navies in the global market, with its baseline design configurable to meet a broad range of naval requirements no matter where in the world it operates.

The Arrowhead 140 frigate will have a maximum overall length of 138.7 m, a maximum beam of 19.8 m, a design draft of 4.8 m, and a displacement of 5,700 tons.

She will be powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system including four diesel engines, two propellers, and two variable shaft lines. The ship will be able to reach a maximum speed of 28 knots (51.8 km/h).