Poland, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia have signed a framework agreement to buy Piorun man-portable air-defense systems from Poland’s state-run PGZ in a deal valued at more than 8 billion zloty, or about $2.2 billion. Poland will lead the consortium, and deliveries are scheduled for completion by 2030. Defense News reported the agreement using statements from PGZ and Poland’s deputy defense minister.
The procurement covers several thousand missiles and several hundred launch units, PGZ said. The announcement describes the quantities in aggregate for the four participating countries. It identifies Poland as the consortium leader and says the purchases will be made through Poland’s defense industry.
More than 80% of the acquired equipment is to be delivered to the Polish military. Poland’s portion of the procurement will be financed through the European Union’s Security Action For Europe, or SAFE, scheme. The program provides Warsaw with access to about €43.7 billion, equivalent to roughly $50.9 billion, in low-cost loans.
Deputy Defence Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said the arrangement is the first time Poland’s Armament Agency has made purchases for both the Polish armed forces and the armed forces of allied countries. She said the participating partners had decided to make their purchases through Poland’s defense industry.
The framework agreement centers on Piorun, whose name means “Thunderbolt.” PGZ describes the system as its flagship man-portable air-defense weapon. The current version can engage targets at altitudes of up to 4 kilometers, or about 2.5 miles, and has a range of up to 6.5 kilometers, or about 4 miles, based on producer data.
PGZ subsidiary MESKO manufactures the missiles at its plant in Skarżysko-Kamienna, in central Poland. The production site is part of the Polish defense-industrial base supporting the agreement and the system’s existing orders.
PGZ officials have linked increased international demand for Piorun to the weapon’s use in Ukraine. Over the past several years, the group says it has raised dedicated missile production capacity from 300 units annually to 1,500 units annually. PGZ plans to increase that capacity to more than 2,000 missiles per year.
The company has sold Piorun systems to countries outside Europe, including the United States, Japan and Indonesia. The four-country framework adds a new set of participating European customers to the system’s existing sales. The agreement’s deliveries are to be completed by 2030, while the reported production plans would allow PGZ to make more missiles during the period covered by those deliveries.
PGZ is also working on a new version called Piorun New Generation, or NG. Company representatives say the weapon will have a longer range, additional features and improved portability. The framework agreement announced by Poland, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia is for Piorun systems, while the New Generation version remains a separate development described by the company.
The agreement gives Poland responsibility for leading the consortium and places the Polish defense industry at the center of a procurement involving the four armed forces. Its scale is reflected in PGZ’s description of several thousand missiles and several hundred launch units, with most of the acquired equipment scheduled for delivery to Poland and the total deal valued above 8 billion zloty.