Polish army to buy more Piorun anti-aircraft missiles
The Ministry of National Defence will increase its orders of the man-portable surface-to-air Piorun missiles, produced by the Polish company Mesko, after the weapon proved its effectiveness in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The news was announced by Mariusz Blaszczak, the defence minister, on Wednesday.
"We're consistently increasing the anti-aircraft capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces," Blaszczak tweeted. "The current order for the Piorun missile systems will be increased and supplies will be executed subsequently in the coming years."
Piorun (thunderbolt) is an infrared-guided missile designed to destroy low-flying aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. It can hit targets flying at altitudes ranging from 10 metres to 4 kilometres.
In 2016, the Polish army bought 1,300 Piorun missiles and 420 launchers for PLN 932 million (EUR 200 million).
Poland has provided Ukraine with an undisclosed number of Pioruns since Russia invaded the country on February 24. The Ukrainian army has posted a number of videos showing Pioruns destroying Russian aircraft.
The missiles are also liked by the US Army, which will buy several hundred of them. (PAP)
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