Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak told reporters on Tuesday that, in addition to defending the Polish coast, the new ships would take part in NATO missions and constitute "a major force in the Baltic."
He made the statement in the northern Baltic port city of Gdynia as he signed the deal with the producers—a domestic consortium made up of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and the Remontowa shipbuilding corporation.
Under the contract, the Polish navy will be provided with three multi-role frigates called Miecznik (Swordfish), officials said.
Błaszczak told reporters that the government wants the first of these to be ready for service in four years.
"This is an ambitious, but realizable goal," he said.
The frigates will be built in local shipyards by hundreds of cooperating firms, both public and private, with the aid of a foreign partner, according to officials.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP