Fearless Shark-25. Polish Navy puts maritime defense to the test

The Polish Navy has launched Exercise Fearless Shark-25, a two-week maritime maneuver running 12–26 September 2025 on the Baltic Sea. The drill, directed by the Maritime Operations Centre – Naval Component Command in Gdynia, is a core element of the broader Iron Defender-25 federation of exercises.

Kamil Kusier executive editor 15.09.2025, 14:14 Reading time: 2 min

Polish Navy vessel Toruń with hull number 825 sails on the Baltic Sea — fot. 8FOW / Marynarka Wojenna RP

In brief

The Polish Navy is conducting the exercise Nieustraszony Rekin-25 on the Baltic Sea from 12 to 26 September 2025, prepared by the Maritime Operations Centre, Maritime Component Command in Gdynia. The manoeuvres involve forces of the 3rd Ship Flotilla, the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla and the Naval Aviation Brigade, including a guided-missile frigate, a corvette, a mine countermeasures vessel, Bryza aircraft and W-3WARM and AW101 helicopters. The exercise is part of the Żelazny Obrońca-25 federation, in which about 30 thousand soldiers and 600 pieces of equipment are taking part.

Focus on maritime security

Fearless Shark-25 is designed to validate the Navy’s ability to conduct defensive operations at sea. Key objectives include:

safeguarding sea lines of communication,
countering attempts to impose a maritime blockade,
escorting and protecting strategic maritime transport,
defending critical infrastructure such as energy terminals, subsea pipelines, and offshore wind farm zones.

The scenarios reflect real-world challenges — from supply chain disruption and asymmetric threats to the growing importance of undersea infrastructure.

Assets and capabilities

The exercise integrates units from the 3rd Flotilla of Ships, the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla, and the Naval Aviation Brigade. Among the participating forces are:

a missile frigate, ASW corvette, transport-minelayers, minehunter, minesweepers, rescue and auxiliary vessels,
the Naval Missile Unit,
Bryza maritime patrol aircraft,
W-3WARM search-and-rescue helicopters and AW101 anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

Training events cover live torpedo and gunnery firings, air-defense drills, mine countermeasures, convoy escort, port readiness restoration, SAR operations, and CBRN response procedures.

Why the Baltic matters

Roughly 3,000 vessels transit the Baltic daily, making it a key artery for regional trade. Polish ports alone handle nearly 140 million tons of cargo annually, including strategic commodities such as crude oil and LNG. Port-related revenues contribute up to 10% of the national budget.

The Baltic also hosts vital infrastructure — LNG and oil terminals, subsea energy and data cables, and the future footprint of offshore wind power. Securing these assets is now a central defense priority for Poland and NATO.

Part of Iron Defender-25

Fearless Shark-25 feeds into Iron Defender-25, the largest scheduled training event of the Polish Armed Forces this year. The federation brings together around 30,000 troops and 600 pieces of equipment from Poland and allied NATO nations, spanning land, air, and sea operations.

The wider exercise aims to: