August 18, 2026
ET3oM Transformers for ORP “Wicher”: How frigate requirements shaped the design.
In June 2024, we signed a contract with PGZ Stocznia Wojenna for the design and supply of ET3oM marine transformers for the three frigates being built under the “Miecznik” programme. On 12 August 2026, the first of these vessels - ORP “Wicher” - was officially named. We were in Gdynia for the christening and naming ceremony.
For the ELHAND team, however, this project had started much earlier. More than three years have passed since the preparation of the initial bid, while the design and engineering work itself took one and a half year.
One of the key challenges was adapting the transformer design to the mechanical requirements specified for a combat vessel.
Beyond the requirements of a typical marine application
Equipment installed on frigates must operate under the vibration conditions encountered during normal vessel operation. The requirements also cover shock loads characteristic of combat ships.
In the “Miecznik” programme, the mechanical resistance requirements went significantly beyond those typically encountered in marine applications. As Tomasz Krawczyk , New Technologies Specialist at ELHAND, describes them, the requirements were “virtually unprecedented”.
This had a direct impact on the transformer design.
It was therefore not a matter of performing an additional verification of a finished, standard product. The specified mechanical loads had to be taken into account as early as the electrical design stage.
3D Model → FEM analysis→ Modification → FEM reanalysis
As part of the engineering process, 3D models of the ET3oM transformers were developed. They were created on the basis of engineering calculations, project requirements and manufacturing capabilities.
The design was then analysed using the Finite Element Method (FEM).
The analysis made it possible to evaluate the behaviour of the equipment under the loads specified for the project and to identify components requiring modification. If the results showed that the design did not meet the defined acceptance criteria, modifications were introduced and the updated model was subjected to another round of analysis.
3D model -> FEM analysis -> modification -> FEM reanalysis.
FEM was therefore not merely an additional verification of a completed design. The calculation results directly influenced the mechanical construction of the transformer.
Engineering Calculations, Testing and Verification
FEM analysis was one of the stages in the verification process for the transformers intended for the “Miecznik” programme.
The project also incorporated Lloyd’s Register classification requirements, as well as the tests and inspections specified for the transformers.
Specialised technical institutions participated in the engineering process: CTO S.A. (Centrum Techniki Okrętowej) in the area of preliminary structural strength calculations, and CTM S.A. (Centrum Techniki Morskiej) in the area of vibration simulations and the selection of suitable vibration isolators.
Design documentation, engineering analyses and the required testing and qualification activities together formed a comprehensive process for verifying the solution against the project requirements.
The requirement was different for the “Kormoran” programme
The “Miecznik” programme is not the first Polish Navy project in which vessel-specific requirements have directly influenced the design solution.
In the “Kormoran” project, one of the key considerations was the electromagnetic field generated by the transformer. Electromagnetic field measurements were performed by Centrum Techniki Morskiej. Based on the measurement results and project requirements, it was possible to determine whether additional measures were necessary to reduce electromagnetic field levels, including shielding using mu-metal sheets.
For the “Miecznik” programme, one of the key areas was mechanical resistance. For the “Kormoran” programme, it was the electromagnetic field generated by the transformer.
Two projects, two different requirements and two different engineering challenges.
This demonstrates why a supplier’s experience in defence projects cannot be reduced to having an off-the-shelf “marine” design. The solution must be derived from the requirements of the specific vessel and the specific project.
A Transformer is part of a much larger process
In a naval vessel project, the delivery of a transformer is the outcome of a much broader engineering process.
On the supplier’s side, this also includes requirements analysis, engineering calculations and modelling, FEM verification, technical documentation and engineering approvals, cooperation with research and testing institutions and the classification society, as well as design modifications resulting from successive stages of verification.
The ability to take a piece of equipment through this entire process - from requirements definition and engineering calculations to testing and technical approvals - is an important part of ELHAND’s experience in marine and defence projects.
“Wicher” Has Its Name. The Project Continues.
ELHAND’s contract covers ET3oM marine transformers for all three frigates of the “Miecznik” programme: ORP “Wicher”, ORP “Burza” and ORP “Huragan”.
The ceremony in Gdynia gave us an opportunity to see the first of these vessels at another important stage of its construction.
ORP “Wicher” has now been named. For ELHAND, the “Miecznik” programme continues.
