The Norwegian Army has conducted its first live-fire test of the Piorun man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). This modern weapon, capable of targeting drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft, is now operationally deployed in Finnmark, with plans to expand its use. The Piorun system serves as a potent deterrent, forcing adversaries to reconsider violating Norwegian airspace. The initial contract, signed in November 2022 between the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA) and the Polish defense company Mesko, secured Piorun systems valued at approximately NOK 350 million. Deliveries began in early 2023, marking the integration of a crucial layer in Norway’s multi-tiered air defense network.
The NDMA’s comprehensive air defense strategy focuses on defending against aerial threats across a range of altitudes and distances. The Piorun system covers the lowest level of air defense, effectively launching heat-seeking missiles at threats from the ground up to 4,000 meters in altitude. This weapon complements Norway’s existing tactical air defense systems and is a valuable addition alongside the Norwegian Air Force’s NASAMS networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense systems and F-35A stealth multirole combat aircrafts. Together, these systems form a robust defense network that will challenge any future adversary with a variety of countermeasures.
The Piorun system, also known as “thunderbolt,” is a Polish-designed modernization of the earlier PPZR Grom system. Created by Mesko from 2010 to 2015, this deep modernization enhanced the missile’s sensitivity to targets, increased its resistance to countermeasures, and enabled its use in night operations. Piorun’s modernization has resulted in a more effective homing warhead, improved target acquisition range, and the incorporation of a proximity fuze and access authorization system. Piorun missiles have also been successfully integrated into Poland’s Poprad self-propelled anti-aircraft systems and the PSR-A Pilica anti-aircraft missile and artillery system.
Piorun is an in-depth upgrade of the Grom that has been in use since 1995. Grom meanwhile has been derived from the Soviet Igla system that used to be license-manufactured in Poland. The Ukrainian Armed Forces so far had been using the post-Soviet MANPADS, such as Strela or Igla, coming in several different variants. In 2022, Poland announced the rapid supply of Ukraine with Pioruns during the 2021–2022 prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed that a number of Russian jet fighters (Su-34, Su-25) and helicopters (Mi-24, Ka-52) were shot down with Piorun missiles. Piorun MANPADS also turned out to be highly effective against the Orlan-10 UAV, which are a challenging target to neutralize, yet also being a significant threat.
