Norway on Tuesday signed a deal to acquire the Polish-made Piorun short-range, man-portable air defense systems.
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According to a press release from Polish munitions company Mesko, the company signed an agreement with Norwegian armed forces to produce several hundred Piorun launchers and missiles.
The Polish firm’s vice president, Przemysław Kowalczuk, noted that “the contract is the result of an open tender in which we competed with European and American suppliers” but in which “our offer [was] much better than our competitors’”.
“We received very good offers from several suppliers, but we decided that Piorun offered the best balances of costs, characteristics and delivery time,” said Norway’s Brigadier General Jarle Nergård.
Kowalczuk also revealed that other similar deals are expected to be announced in the near future, as Mesko – which is part of the state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) – continues its expansion into the global market.
@PGZ_MESKO_SA dostarczy zestawy rakietowe #PIORUN do Norwegii. Jest to kolejna umowa, która umacnia pozycję @PGZ_MESKO_SA i rakietowej części @PGZ_pl na rynkach zewnętrznych. Umowa z Norwegią nie jest ostatnią, której można spodziewać się w nieodległym czasie. pic.twitter.com/ClJO0okC0L
— MESKO S.A. (@PGZ_MESKO_SA) November 29, 2022
The Piorun is an upgraded version of the Grom MANPAD.
The Piorun system including the launch unit and the missile has a total weight of 16.5 kg, the same as for the Grom. One of the main features of the new Piorun, there is a mini keyboard on the right side of the trigger module which can be used to select types of targets, environments, and work modes. There is also a day/night optical sight mounted on the tube launcher.