Piorun Air Defense System

Full Specifications

Piorun MANPADS Short Range Air Defense Missile

The Piorun air defense system is a modern short range surface to air missile designed to counter low flying aerial threats. Developed as an upgrade to the Grom MANPADS family, Piorun reflects lessons learned from modern conflicts, especially the growing threat from drones, helicopters, and cruise missiles.

Manufacturer and Origin

Piorun is developed and produced by Mesko SA, a Polish defense manufacturer, with system integration by Poland’s defense industry. The system entered service with the Polish Armed Forces in 2019 and has since gained international attention due to its combat performance.

Role and Capabilities

Piorun is a man portable air defense system intended for frontline and point defense missions. It is optimized to engage fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and low observable cruise missiles. The missile uses an advanced passive infrared homing seeker with improved resistance to countermeasures.

The system offers an engagement range of up to 6.5 km and an effective altitude of around 4 km. Missile speed exceeds Mach 2, allowing fast reaction against pop up threats. Piorun features a proximity fuze combined with an impact fuze, increasing lethality against small and agile targets such as drones.

Operational Use

Piorun has been widely used in Ukraine, where it has proven effective against Russian aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. Its night operation capability and portability make it suitable for dispersed infantry units and urban defense scenarios. The system can be operated by a single soldier and deployed rapidly without external radar support.

Piorun MANPADS Price

The Piorun MANPADS is not currently procured by the United States military. Based on export contracts and open source estimates, the unit price is estimated between USD 80,000 and USD 120,000 per missile, depending on configuration, support equipment, and training packages.