Polish portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS) Piorun surpasses the Russian "Willow", says Defence24.pl .
In the publication, with reference to RIA Novosti, it is noted that the maximum range of the "Willow" is five kilometers, and the maximum flight altitude is three and a half kilometers. "If this is true, then the Polish Piorun MANPADS are better than their Russian counterparts. And not only Russian," writes the Polish edition.
Defence24.pl he notes that "the maximum range of the Piorun is not disclosed, but it is known that it exceeds 6.4 kilometers," and the maximum flight altitude is 4 kilometers.
"No one in Poland hides that Polish MANPADS were created on the basis of the knowledge gained by Polish designers and engineers when using Russian portable anti-aircraft systems. However, it is now clear that the student has surpassed his teacher, and the Russians must have noticed this," the publication says.
The publication claims that the situation with Russian MANPADS is complicated by sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia, which is why the latter has lost access to modern components for military equipment. Nevertheless, it is noted, in particular, that Piorun still uses a dual-band infrared homing head, while the Willow is a three—band one.
In October, the commander-in-chief of the Russian ground forces, Army General Oleg Salyukov, announced that the Metka MANPADS, equipped with a homing head resistant to optical interference, will soon enter service.
Ivan Potapov
