Polish frigate ORP Wicher on the water
By Marek Grzybowski
The Polish frigate ORP Wicher is the first of three planned multi-role frigates under the “Miecznik” program. The ship’s godmother is Agata Ziemiańska, wife of Vice Admiral Jarosław Ziemiański, Inspector of the Navy. She is a graduate of the University of Gdańsk and an employee of the Port of Gdynia Authority.
The Polish frigate ORP Wicher was christened. Many guests from Poland and abroad attended the ceremony at the PGZ Naval Shipyard in Gdynia. Among the guests at the christening ceremony were representatives of state authorities, including President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the command staff of the armed forces, representatives and partners of the PGZ-Miecznik consortium, responsible for the construction and delivery of new ships for the Polish Navy, and Gdynia residents.
The frigates of the “Miecznik” program are 138.7 meters long, with a maximum displacement of 7,000 tons. They have a maximum speed of 26 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots. They have a range of 8,000 nautical miles. The ship’s crew consists of 187 officers, petty officers, and sailors. The frigate is powered by four CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel) diesel engines, the MTU 20V8000M71 from Rolls Royce.
The ships are equipped with an integrated Thales mission system. The frigate has an integrated bridge, communications system, platform management system, and combat management system. The combat management system, sensors, and effectors will manage anti-aircraft systems, surface-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile defense systems, and anti-submarine torpedoes. The ships are equipped with medium- and long-range multifunction radars, as well as fire control radar and imagery reconnaissance systems. The Fragata has hull-mounted and towed sonars. The frigates will be equipped with radio-technical warfare capabilities.
To combat surface and land targets, the frigate will be equipped with NSM (Naval Strike Missile) launchers, a 76 mm OTO Melara Super Rapid Straus medium-caliber gun, and two 35 mm OSU-35K guns. The frigate will have remotely controlled weapons modules equipped with large-caliber machine guns and manually guided light machine guns. The guns will have a range of 40 km, and the missiles up to 100 km. Anti-ship missiles will be capable of covering a range of up to 200 km. Torpedo armament will consist of two torpedo tubes. VLS Mk41 vertical launchers and CAMM missiles, including CAMM-ER, are also planned.
The launch of the ORP WICHER frigate took place on Thursday, August 13, 2026.