- WIADOMOŚCI
More Pioruns in the Polish Army
The Armament Agency is finalising the execution of a multi-year contract for the supply of Polish Piorun man-portable air-defence systems, and in the coming months, it will begin another, significantly larger agreement under the SAFE instrument.
According to a statement from the Armament Agency, the implementation of the contract signed in December 2016 with MESKO S.A. and the Polish Armaments Group is coming to an end. The contract concerned the supply of Piorun man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS). Under this agreement, 1,300 missiles and 420 launch mechanisms were originally ordered, with deliveries planned for 2017–2022.
However, in June 2022, an addendum to the contract was signed, increasing its scope by a further 600 launch mechanisms and 3,500 missiles. The total scope of the contract was thus increased to 4,800 missiles and over 1,000 launch mechanisms. The complete conclusion of deliveries under this contract is expected within the next few months. It should be noted that the missiles transferred to Ukraine in the first months of the full-scale war in 2022 were sourced from the original order.
Kończymy realizację umowy z grudnia 2016 r., podpisanej z @PGZ_MESKO_SA i @PGZ_pl, na dostawę przenośnych przeciwlotniczych zestawów rakietowych #PIORUN – polskiego systemu VSHORAD dla pododdziałów OPL Wojsk Lądowych. Tylko w październiku odebrano kilkaset mechanizmów startowych, a zapas rakiet jest na bieżąco uzupełniany. Zakończenie dostaw w ramach tego kontraktu przewidziano w ciągu najbliższych miesięcy. Następnie rozpocznie się realizacja drugiej umowy, zawartej we wrześniu tego roku w formule wspólnych zakupów (common procurement) w ramach instrumentu #SAFE.
— Agencja Uzbrojenia (@AgencjaUzbr) October 20, 2026
Upon completion of the current contract, the implementation of the second one, concluded in September 2026 under a joint procurement formula within the SAFE instrument, will begin. This refers to a framework agreement from August 2026 with a value exceeding 8 billion PLN net (approx. €1.85 billion / $2 billion) and the first executive agreement signed during MSPO 2026. The order includes several thousand missiles and several hundred launch mechanisms for a consortium of nations: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Norway. Over 80 per cent of the order will be delivered to the Polish Armed Forces, and deliveries are to be completed by 2030, with the Polish portion funded by SAFE resources. This is the largest contract in history for Piorun systems and the first joint allied procurement of its kind coordinated by the Polish agency.
The Piorun Man-Portable Air-Defence System is a very short-range system developed as part of an R&D project carried out by Mesko (leader), CRW Telesystem-Mesko, and the Military University of Technology, utilising experience gained from the construction of the Grom system. The Piorun is characterised by increased resistance to jamming and the ability to neutralise targets with a low thermal signature. It allows for the elimination of aerial targets such as helicopters, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other airborne threats at distances of 0.4–6.5 km and altitudes from approximately 10 m to 4,000 m.
Since 2022, this system has been deployed in Ukraine and successfully used in combat, including against cruise missiles, helicopters (such as the Ka-52 and Mi-35M), combat aircraft (Su-34 and Su-25), and UAVs. It is currently one of the most frequently exported products of the Polish defence industry.
