Belgium signs on for Polish Piorun missiles, eyes new variant
Belgium is joining the group of users of Polish Piorun anti-aircraft missiles. The signing of the letter of intent on this matter is accompanied by information about the completion of work on a new variant of Polish weapons. What do we know about the Piorun 2?
The defence ministers of Poland and Belgium, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Theo Francken, signed a letter of intent on military cooperation at the MESKO facilities. It included a declaration regarding Belgium's purchase of 200-300 portable anti-aircraft missile systems Piorun.
Thus, Belgium joins the growing group of users of Polish weapons. In addition to the Polish army, the PPZR (Portable Anti-Aircraft Missile System) Piorun has reached the armed forces of Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the United States. It's possible that France will also purchase Polish missiles.
The interest in the Polish anti-aircraft missile is due to its proven effectiveness. During the war in Ukraine, Polish Pioruns turned out to be effective weapons against Russian aircraft and helicopters.
Polish weapon tested in combat
It's worth noting that the predecessor of the Piorun also made history with its effective combat against Russian aircraft. Grom missiles were used by Georgia during the Russian attack in 2008, and according to Georgian data, out of 13 properly launched missiles, they hit as many as 9 Russian aircraft and helicopters.
Piorun, developed based on the experiences collected during the use of the Grom missile, confirmed its effectiveness in Ukraine, where it helped shoot down attack helicopters, such as Ka-52, as well as aircraft of various types (Su-25, Su-30, Su-34) and cruise missiles.
New Polish anti-aircraft missile
The development of the series of Polish portable anti-aircraft missiles continues. After Grom and Piorun, Piorun 2, as well as the Grzmot missile with an increased range of 11 kilometres, are set to enter production. It was Piorun 2 that Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz mentioned, commenting on the signing of the Polish-Belgian agreement.
The current schedule assumes that the serial production of the Piorun 2 missile will start in 2028. Compared to the currently produced variant, the new Piorun is expected to offer a somewhat greater range (up to approximately 6.4 kilometres) and a higher flight speed.
An important change will be an improved guidance system, which will be more resistant to interference and will allow for targeting low thermal signature targets, such as various types of drones.
