PIT-RADWAR S.A. has sent another batch of the Poprad Anti-Aircraft Missile System to the Polish Army 15th “Giżycka” Mechanized Brigade. According to the plan made, the squadron is to receive nine vehicles as such in total. Poprads are delivered on time, in line with the schedule adopted for the year 2020. The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) signed an agreement worth $278.7 million in December 2015. A total of 77 Poprad anti-aircraft rocket kits had delivered between 2018 and 2021. The contract also covers training package, services, repair and overhaul of existing systems.
SPZR Poprad is a self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system developed by PIT-RADWAR (formerly Bumar Elektronika) to provide the armed forces with short-range air defence capability. The Poprad short-range air defence missile system can be mounted on a variety of wheeled or tracked off-road vehicles such as Land Rover light tactical vehicle and Zubr wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC), developed by AMZ-Kutno. The Poprad missile system is operated by two crew members, the commander/operator and mechanic/driver.
The POPRAD self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system is intended for fighting low and medium altitude air targets with use of heat-seeking missiles. The basic functions of POPRAD are accomplished by a tracking-aiming head, which contains a set of electrooptical sensors (thermal camera and laser range-finder), four launchers of GROM missiles, IFF, two-axis drive. The system uses a fire guiding computer and a navigation and orientation system. Poprad is designed to detect, airborne targets at close (5.5-6.5 km) distances and low altitudes (up to 3.5-4 km).
The system is armed with anti-aircraft missiles such as Grom / Piorun. The 72mm, 10.5kg Grom man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS) is manufactured by Poland’s ammunition manufacturer ZakÅ‚ady Metalowe Mesko. The Grom (meaning “thunder” in Polish) is a man-portable air-defense system produced in Poland and based on the Russian man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) 9K38 Igla . It consists of a 72 mm anti-aircraft missile set with a flight speed of 650 m/s, as well as a single-use launcher, re-usable gripstock and thermal battery coolant assembly electric unit.