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Polish air defence systems for Norway: report

01.12.2022 06:30
A Polish state-owned arms producer says it has signed a multimillion-euro deal to deliver its Piorun (Thunderbolt) man-portable air defence systems to Norway.
The Piorun (Thunderbolt) man-portable air defence system is designed to destroy low-flying aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Piorun (Thunderbolt) man-portable air defence system is designed to destroy low-flying aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.Photo: Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ)

The deal follows a tender process in which Norway selected the Polish-made air defence systems over rival bids from European and American suppliers, according to executives.

On November 29, the Mesko company, part of the state-run Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), signed an agreement with the Norwegian government in Oslo for the supply of several hundred Piorun missiles and launch mechanisms to the Norwegian armed forces, the biznesalert.pl website reported.

Mesko Deputy CEO Przemysław Kowalczuk said: "The contract is the result of an open procedure in which we competed against European and American suppliers of this class of armaments."

Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said in June that the Piorun systems had been battle-tested in the Ukraine war.

In February, the Polish government authorised sending a batch of Piorun systems to Ukraine as part of security assistance to Kyiv, according to reports at the time.  

Meanwhile, the United States has ordered several hundred Piorun systems, and more NATO allies are interested in the equipment, according to officials.

The Piorun is designed to destroy low-flying aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.

(gs)

Source: biznesalert.pl