This Polish weapon is conquering the world. “It may dominate the market for years”
The end of last year and the first days of January were a period in which part of the public opinion was surprised by the information that Polish weapons were falling into the hands of soldiers of other NATO countries. Additionally, Georgia also decided to make a similar purchase, as its military already has experience in using (combat) anti-aircraft missiles manufactured in Poland. Piorun is slowly becoming an export hit that may dominate the market for years.
The latest injection of positive information regarding Piorun portable anti-aircraft missile systems (PPZR) on world markets began on December 12, 2023, when the MESKO SA plant belonging to the Polish Armaments Group announced the delivery of the first batch of Pioruns to the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Norway. On January 5, a similar announcement was published by the Ministry of Defense of Estonia, and on January 12, the Ministry of Defense of Georgia announced the signing of an agreement with MESKO SA regarding the purchase of a batch of this type of missiles. Thus, the list of export users of Polish weapons has now exceeded eight countries.
The history of Piorun and its export successes may be an example of the practical application of the slogan “advertising as a lever of trade”. While the first copies of these weapons (420 launch devices and 1,300 rockets) were ordered by the Polish Ministry of Defense in December 2016, export sales began a few years later, when (in December 2021) a small batch (several dozen launch devices and over 100 missiles) was ordered by the United States Department of Defense – this contract is currently being implemented, and the details are confidential. Perhaps they will be used for comparative tests related to work on the Stinger’s successor. But interestingly, it was not the American contract that aroused global interest.
