Following the news that South Korea has reportedly proposed transferring one of its decommissioned submarines to Poland;

Abhijit Apsingikar, Aerospace & Defense Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Despite the selection of the Swedish A26 submarine for the Orka contract by Poland, South Korea’s proposal to transfer the decommissioned ROKS Jang Bogo, an HDW Type 209 submarine, to Poland at no cost after its retirement is expected to help the European nation to address its immediate capability shortfalls. It is also expected enable the country to restructure its crew training regime and support the transition from Kilo-class submarines to Western submarine technology standards. This, in turn, will enable Polish crews to swiftly adapt to the new A26 submarines when they enter service in the future.

“As per GlobalData’s dataset Global Submarine Market Forecast 2025-2035, the Polish submarine market is valued at around $2.4 billion, and the country plans to acquire four submarines under the Orka-class program. South Korea has already established a strong foothold in Poland’s defense market, with its defense export deals to the country exceeding $10 billion in 2022 alone and totaling an estimated $13–14 billion overall till date. The proposed transfer of the Jang Bogo is likely to further strengthen South Korea’s presence in Poland’s defense market and pave the way for expanded sales to the country.

“Poland has already concluded major defense contracts with South Korea, including 180 K2 Black Panther main battle tanks, 48 FA-50 jet trainers, 212 K239 Chunmoo MLRS systems, and 212 K9 self-propelled howitzers, with an additional 162 K9 howitzers announced. The Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer is also based on the South Korean K9 chassis, and Poland has signed a licensing agreement to produce the K9A1 variant domestically. Against this backdrop, South Korean defense companies have strong prospects for successfully promoting their other defense equipment, as they are already well acquainted with Poland’s defense procurement framework.

“If realized, the transfer is therefore also expected to pave the way for expanded future acquisitions of South Korean defense equipment by Poland and to support follow-on orders. The move also demonstrates South Korea’s intent to go the extra mile to empower its allies and strategic partners, especially at a time when Poland expressed concerns about possible spillover of the Russia-Ukraine conflict at its borders.”