On September 7, 2022, at the enterprise of the Polish company ZM Mesko S.A. (part of the Polish state military-industrial association Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa - PGZ) in Skarzisko-Kamenne, an agreement was signed on the acquisition by the Estonian armed forces of the Polish portable anti-aircraft missile system Piorun. In total, Estonia has contracted 100 launchers and 300 anti-aircraft guided missiles of the Piorun complex. The signing ceremony was attended by Polish Defense Ministers Mariusz Blaszczak and Estonia's Hanno Pevkur.
Signing ceremony of the agreement on the acquisition by the Estonian Armed Forces of the Piorun portable anti-aircraft missile system manufactured by the Polish company ZM Mesko S.A. Skarzisko-Kamenna (Poland), 07.09.2022 (c) Ministry of National Defense of PolandThe cost of the contract is not reported, but earlier the Estonian government planned to allocate 102 million euros for the purchase of air defense systems - although, apparently, the purchase of Piorun MANPADS is only part of this amount.
At the signing ceremony of the agreement, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak said:
"This is an important day. This day shows that the Polish defense industry is capable of producing good weapons, proven weapons that our allies also use. I would like to emphasize that supplies to Estonia will not be made at the expense of supplies for the Polish Army.
Piorun is a modern weapon. This weapon has proven itself on the battlefield, as it is used by the armed forces of Ukraine. It is effective because it stops and delays Russian aggression against Ukraine. It is modern and effective. I am very glad that this weapon was used by the Polish army, and now it is used by the Estonian army.
Piorun deliveries to Estonia will begin next year. Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Mesko were able to increase their production capacity. This is proof that good weapons can be produced in large quantities in our country. This is the best news we've heard today. Congratulations and thank you for the fact that the Mesko team, the plant director and the entire PGZ group are so effectively fulfilling orders that are sent to PGZ by the Ministry of National Defense. The Polish defense industry is capable of producing modern weapons that can serve our allies as well."
Estonia will become the third foreign recipient of the Polish Piorun MANPADS after Ukraine and the USA. The Armed Forces of Ukraine received batches of Piorun MANPADS from the presence of the Polish Army after the start of the Russian special military operation on February 24, and use them in combat. In addition, at the beginning of 2022, a batch of Piorun MANPADS (in "several hundred missiles", according to Polish sources) was ordered by the US Department of Defense - presumably, in the US, these missiles will be used to test means and complexes to counter modern MANPADS.
Estonia has not yet been armed with MANPADS of the "classic" portable type, using only the MBDA Mistral 2 and 3 portable MANPADS purchased in France with support launchers.
On the part of bmpd, we recall that the Piorun complex is produced by the Polish Mesko enterprise in Skarzisko-Kamenna, which is part of the PGZ group, and is a further development of the Grom family of MANPADS manufactured by this plant. The development of the Piorun complex has been carried out since 2010 by a consortium formed by Mesko, CRW Telesystem-Mesko and the Military Technological University (Warsaw).
The Grom MANPADS itself initially (in the configuration of the 1990s, referred to as Grom 1) was a licensed version of the Soviet portable air defense system 9K310 Igla-1 assembled by Mesko with a modified 9M313 missile equipped with homing heads (GSN) 9E410 supplied by St. Petersburg JSC LOMO from the 9M39 MANPADS 9K38 Igla missile. The 9P519 launcher and the missile warhead were also modified.
Since 2000, the ZM MESKO plant has been producing a modified MANPADS, called Grom 2. Its main difference was a modified rocket equipped with a new 1G03 GOS developed by LOMO, and a new warhead with a mass increased from 1.27 to 1.83 kg. Initially, the GOS for Grom 2 were also supplied by LOMO, and only since 2004 their release has been localized in Poland. The launcher uses a new element base and new batteries. Both Grom modifications can also use standard Igla-1 (9P519) and Igla (9P516) MANPADS launchers.
Piorun (originally designated as Grom-M) is a further upgrade of Grom 2. The basis of the modernization was the equipping of the Piorun missile complex with a new solid-fuel engine of Mesko's own design, which increased the firing range to 6,500 m and the altitude reach to 4,000 m. In addition, the Piorun missile complex is equipped with a modified homing head with a new photodiode and digital signal processing (the sensitivity of the GOS is allegedly increased four times as a result), and a new non-contact fuse. The warhead is made with a new explosive substance CL-20. An infrared sight, an additional battery and a code device have been introduced into the launcher to prevent unauthorized use.
In December 2016, the Polish Ministry of National Defense signed a contract worth 932.2 million zlotys (about $ 220 million) with PGZ Group for the supply of 420 launchers and 1300 anti-aircraft missiles of the Piorun complex in 2017-2022. The development of production and fine-tuning of a new engine for the Piorun missile complex were accompanied by difficulties, and in fact Mesko was able to start serial deliveries of the complex to the Polish army only in 2019. By the beginning of 2022, Mesko had delivered 260 launchers and about 730 missiles under this contract, some of which were then transferred to Ukraine, the completion of deliveries under the contract was expected during 2022.
In June 2022, the Polish Ministry of National Defense signed an addendum to the 2016 contract for the supply of the Polish Piorun MANPADS for the Army. According to the 3.5 billion zloty supplement, another 3,500 anti-aircraft missiles and 600 Piorun launchers are to be delivered, the first of which will be delivered to the Polish armed forces at the end of 2022.
Video:
