Piorun MANPADS draw interest from Germany and Ukraine, Poland’s PM Tusk confirms

Speaking at a press conference earlier in the day, Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk confirmed that Berlin has expressed interest in purchasing the Piorun MANPADS. „I can confirm that Germany has signaled an initial intent to acquire the Piorun. We should take pride in this, as it demonstrates how innovation in Poland’s defence industry translates into our international standing and advances our national interests,” Tomczyk said. He cautioned, however, that the information remains unofficial for now, as the matter „requires finalization.”

Several hours later, Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the issue directly, stating that Germany is among a broader group of countries exploring the acquisition of the system.  „I can confirm that Germany is among the states that would like to purchase Pioruns from us. Part of these systems would be transferred to Ukraine, and part would eventually equip Germany’s own armed forces,” Tusk said.

In recent weeks, Belgium has also moved forward, signing a letter of intent for the potential procurement of 200–300 Piorun systems. Current export customers already include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, the United States, and Ukraine. 

Piorun MANPADS has been developed within the framework of the domestic industry’s R&D effort, pursued since the year 2010 by Mesko S.A. (leader), Telesystem-Mesko, and the Military University of Technology. The project has made use of experiences gathered during the development of the Grom missile. Piorun offers better resistance to countermeasures, and greater capabilities when it comes to engaging targets with low thermal signature. Piorun can be used against air threats, such as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise missiles, and UAVs, at a distance ranging from 400 meters, up to 6.5 kilometers, flying at altitudes ranging from 10 meters to 4 kilometers.

Sourced from PAP / Defence24