3,000 Piorun MANPADS Delivered. Record Levels of Profit for Mesko

We are proud to have produced 3,000 Piorun missiles. Thanks to its effectiveness, the Piorun is one of the most sought-after missiles in the world. We are focusing on expanding our production capabilities,
Renata Gruszczyńska, President of the Board at Mesko S.A.

The Mesko CEO added that production capacities are being systematically increased so that output will rise to 1,500, then 1,700, and eventually to over 2,000 units. Inquiries regarding the Piorun systems continue to pour in. She noted that the company achieved a net profit of PLN 235 million, compared to a net profit of PLN 59 million for all of 2023 and PLN 49 million in the first quarter of 2024.  „This is an achievement exceptional in the entire history of the company,” she said, attributing the success to the team’s effort and the implementation of modern work organization methods.

I congratulate the entire Mesko team, because the Piorun is an outstanding product of the Polish defense industry.
Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets, Konrad Gołota

Present at the ceremony, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets, Konrad Gołota, assured that his ministry is seeking every possible form of support for Mesko and the entire PGZ Group. „Our goal is to develop the industry so that it becomes independent and efficient,” he emphasized.

This is an extremely effective weapon. Its reputation means that the demand for the Piorun is very high worldwide. Customers aren't asking about the price—they're asking about delivery capabilities.
Paweł Bejda, Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Defence

State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Paweł Bejda also recalled that it was the Piorun systems that first shot down Russian helicopters attacking Ukraine. He added that there is now a need in Poland to build a comprehensive ammunition production capability.  „It won’t be just a single facility, but rather a network capable of producing various components: including powders, fuses, casings, and other parts, in different plants”. He said that this is a tremendous opportunity for the entire region, and Mesko will also participate in the project. It will be financed with PLN 3 billion, including PLN 2 billion already transferred from the Ministry’s budget to the Capital Investment Fund, plus another billion from RARS, funds that were also available to the Ministry of Defence.

The delivery of 3,000 Piorun systems is an important step toward strengthening the capabilities of Polish air defence units as well as the domestic defense industry. The Polish Army has been equipped with the Piorun since 2017, following an initial order placed a year earlier for 420 launch units and 1,300 missiles.  Another contract—more precisely, an annex—was signed in June 2022 after a portion of the Pioruns had been supplied to Ukraine as part of military aid. An additional 3,500 missiles and 600 launch units were ordered for roughly PLN 3.5 billion gross.

Even before the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the United States had ordered the Piorun systems. After the Polish system saw combat, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and one hitherto undisclosed Balkan country joined the group of its users. Production capacities for the Piorun systems are also being increased. While it took over five years from the delivery of the first systems to handing over the 1,000th Piorun (the 1,000th system was delivered in September 2022), the next two thousand were delivered in less than two and a half years.

Last year, the Piorun was proposed for co-financing by the European Union under the EDIRPA program; however, it ended up on the reserve list. Instead, the French Mistral systems were selected for funding, even though, unlike the Piorun, they are not shoulder-launched systems.

Piorun is a Polish portable anti-aircraft system developed as part of a research project initiated in 2010 with the participation of Mesko, CRW Telesystem-Mesko, and the Military University of Technology (WAT). It is the successor to the Grom system and can engage aerial targets at ranges from 400 meters to over 6.5 kilometers and at altitudes from about 10 meters to over 4 kilometers. 

The Piorun is equipped with an advanced, domestically developed infrared guidance system that is highly resistant to both natural and artificial interference. The missile features a proximity fuse that makes it possible to hit the target in the event of a near miss. Additionally, the launching mechanism allows for programming of the seeker according to the target’s characteristics, and it can be integrated with an all-day optoelectronic sight and an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) module. The launching unit also includes an authorization system that prevents unauthorized missile use.

The combat capabilities of the Piorun were confirmed during its use in the war in Ukraine, where it successfully destroyed targets such as Su-25, Su-34, and Su-30SM aircraft, helicopters, including the Ka-52, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. Not only can the Piorun missiles be shoulder-fired, as they may also be integrated on Poprad or Pilica anti-aircraft systems. Its integration with an unmanned aerial system has also been demonstrated.

Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) are one of the few areas in which the Polish industry has the capability to independently produce and develop next-generation solutions used by both the Polish Armed Forces and export customers. Capabilities in this field have been steadily built up since the 1990s.  Currently, the industry is proposing further modernization of the Piorun to enhance its capabilities, including through the integration of a new multispectral seeker unit.