Polish Piorun missile tested on French Mistral ship

According to unofficial information obtained by Defence24.pl, the Piorun tests involved verifying the integration of the missile with the French launcher and examining the functioning of all missile mechanisms, including the seeker head, which tracked an aerial target. The trial integration was conducted with the participation of representatives from the Polish defence industry. The tests were successful, proceeding according to the planned objectives.

The maritime tests of the Piorun are a consequence of an agreement concluded during the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition between Polish companies Mesko (the prime contractor for the Piorun) and CRW Telesystem-Mesko (the manufacturer of guidance system elements and key electronic components for the Polish system) and the French naval construction concern Naval Group. This agreement stipulated that the first stage would involve demonstrating the possibility of using the Rampart launcher on a maritime platform.

The Piorun tests on the Mistral were first reported by the Naval News portal. They were part of a broader French Navy exercise called „Wildfire”, during which 68 mm rockets were fired from the same launcher (actual firing of the Piorun was not planned at this stage) along with a range of other training activities for operations in high-intensity conflict scenarios.

What is the Rampart launcher and where can it be used?

Rampart is a modular missile launcher developed by Naval Group. It can be integrated onto ships of various sizes, as well as land vehicles (e.g., trucks). The primary concept behind the use of the MPLS Rampart is the employment of different types of missiles (and potentially other effectors, including loitering munitions) on a single launcher simultaneously.

In this way, it is possible to tailor the armament used by the Rampart launcher to counter different types of threats. For example, missiles such as the Piorun, which engage various aerial targets including cruise missiles, aircraft, and helicopters, can be used alongside guided and unguided 68 mm rockets designed to neutralise drones and surface objects.

Critically, the MPLS Rampart is an open-architecture system and can be connected to any C2 (Command and Control) system operating within an air-defence system or a ship’s combat management system. It can therefore supplement the armament of existing and newly designed vessels, as well as ground-based air-defence systems.

Piorun and Mistral

The initial tests of the Rampart launcher were conducted on a Mistral-class landing platform dock (LPD), which is nearly 200 m long with a displacement of 21,500 tonnes, capable of carrying 16 helicopters, 70 vehicles, and up to 900 landing troops. Currently, Mistral-class ships are used by two nations: France and Egypt. Following the annexation of Crimea, the latter purchased the units originally intended for Russia and operates both American Apache helicopters and Russian Ka-52s on them. However, Rampart can also be installed on much smaller units, as it fits even on an Arquus 4x4 truck. This is a universal solution that can, on one hand, be used on small ships and vehicles and, on the other, be placed on large vessels that previously either lacked very short-range defence or had insufficient protection.

Piorun is a man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) introduced into the Polish Armed Forces in 2018 (and used successfully in combat in Ukraine since 2022). It is used to engage combat aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and selected unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at ranges from 400 m to over 6.5 km and at altitudes from 10 m to approximately 4 km, even in jamming conditions. Pioruns can be shoulder-fired or launched from anti-aircraft systems such as the Pilica, Poprad, Kusza, and the autonomous ABSOP Perkun. Work is also underway to increase their integration capabilities with other platforms, as exemplified by the MPLS Rampart. In August 2026, a framework agreement was signed, followed by an executive contract in September 2026 for the delivery of Piorun systems under the SAFE programme. In addition to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Norway have joined the framework agreement, while other countries, including the Netherlands and France, are also considering a joint purchase.