WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland may join forces with other NATO members such as Norway or the Netherlands to buy submarines in a bid to cut costs, instead of buying them alone, deputy defence minister Czeslaw Mroczek said on Sunday.
The ministry had been planning to buy three submarines with delivery set for 2020-25. But the purchase, which was set to be launched at the beginning of this year, got stalled as Poland decided to arm the fleet with manoeuvring missiles, a change in contract specification that increased the costs.
"We are considering obtaining submarines, for instance together with Norway or the Netherlands," Mroczek told state news agency PAP.
"We are finishing works on initial settings - tactical and technical," he added. "From the point of view of the procedure and how we do it - whether in one or two proceedings - will depend on if we buy the submarines alone or as a joint project of two or more NATO members."
According to PAP, French industrial group DCNS, Swedish Saab Kockums and German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems are interested in the tender.
Poland's defence ministry was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Adrian Krajewski; editing by Clelia Oziel)
