The original project was prepared by the German Democratic Republic for its navy and was named Project 660, it also received the NATO reporting name "Sassnitz". After the Unification of Germany the unfinished hulls were bought by the Polish Navy from VEB Peenewerft shipyard in Wolgast and successfully completed by Northern Shipyard in Gdańsk.
In 2006, Ministry of Defence ordered 36 RBS-15 Mk 3 anti-ship missiles to equip the ships. Since 2007, they carried RBS-15 Mk 2 missiles as interim armament.[1] RBS-15 Mk 3 missiles were first deployed in 2014.[2] Since 2015 Orkan[3] and Piorun underwent a 19-month, mid-life refit.[4]
| Pennant number | Name | Commissioned | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 421 | 18 September 1992 | ||
| 422 | 11 March 1994 | ||
| 423 | 28 April 1995 |
The lead ship of the class is named Orkan (Polish: Hurricane), while other two ships are Piorun (Polish: Thunderbolt) and Grom (Polish: Thunderclap). and were famous Polish destroyers of the Second World War. Orkan was to have been the first destroyer constructed in Poland, but her construction was interrupted by the start of the World War II.