The Polish Piorun is the best of the worst portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) and does not surpass the Russian Verba, writes TASS columnist Dmitry Litovkin, reacting to the publication of Defence24.
According to him, formally Piorun looks very decent. "But there are nuances. For example, Piorun was very difficult to pass the solvency exam — about 15 percent of the missiles had defects leading to the explosion of the car either immediately after the launch of the main engine, or a few seconds after it," the author assures.
According to the observer, the rocket of the Polish MANPADS can have a longer range than that of the "Willow", provided that the final speed is lower. "In addition, as an option, in order to show higher range indicators, you can submit data at the maximum temperature. For example, in the Russian Federation, the range is considered at plus 20 degrees Celsius, and the Poles could - at plus 50 degrees Celsius," the author writes.
Nevertheless, Litovkin admits that "Polish developers managed to create a small miracle with their engine." "However, such things as range, interception height are not really super-important characteristics for MANPADS," the author believes.
According to him, the Russian "Willow" surpasses the Polish Piorun thanks to the optical three-band homing head. "No one in the world makes such a homing head except us," the author is sure.
In October, Defence24 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 ones," the Polish edition wrote.
In the same month, the commander-in-chief of the Russian ground forces, Army General Oleg Salyukov, announced that the Metka MANPADS, equipped with an optical interference-resistant homing head, would soon enter service.
Ivan Potapov
