Belgium buys Polish weapons for 137 million euros
- In May, Belgium signed a letter of intent for the purchase of 200-300 Piorun portable anti-aircraft missile systems, manufactured by the Polish company Mesko.
- On Tuesday (29 July), the Belgian Minister of Defence announced that the purchase process is proceeding according to plan and that the order will include 40 kits and hundreds of missiles.
- The price Belgium will pay is €137 million.
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken announced the details of the order on Tuesday.
"Good news! The procurement process for the Piorun air defense systems is proceeding according to plan . Yesterday I signed the budget request to my colleague Van Peteghem (referring to Vincent Van Peteghem, the Belgian Budget Minister – CIS note). The first systems will be delivered this year," wrote Francken, a politician from the national-conservative New Flemish Alliance and serving as Belgium's defense minister since early February, on social media.
He also wrote that 40 "Piorun systems" (presumably referring to the launch mechanisms – CIS note) and "hundreds of missiles" will arrive in Belgium this year . He also mentioned the price – 137 million euros .
Polish Piorun missiles are to be deployed with the Belgian Special Operations Regiment. The elite unit has been waiting for such a purchase for 15 years, a Belgian politician announced.
Francken also outlined the key characteristics of the Piorun for Flemish-speaking readers. He wrote that it is a Polish air defense system in the same category as the French Mistral and the American Stinger. It protects against larger drones, attack helicopters, and low-altitude aircraft. It can be carried by soldiers or mounted on vehicles. The Belgian Minister of Defense emphasized that the Pioruns have achieved impressive results in Ukraine .
Letter of intent for 200-300 PiorunsIn mid-May, Theo Francken visited the Mesko company in Skarżysko-Kamienna (Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship), the manufacturer of the Piorun system. He also signed a letter of intent on military cooperation with Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Minister of National Defense. The Polish minister stated at the time that the letter concerned the purchase of between 200 and 300 Piorun systems by Belgium.
Another area of Polish-Belgian defense cooperation is the operation of F-35 multi-role aircraft . Both Poland and Belgium have ordered these machines from the US, although the Belgians did so slightly earlier, and in April of this year they declared their willingness to purchase further units (they could receive a total of up to 55 F-35 fighters, while Poland has ordered 32 such machines).
The portable anti-aircraft missiles Piorun and their predecessor, Grom, are one of the few export successes of the Polish defense industry . These small, shoulder-launched missiles are designed to combat enemy aircraft, primarily helicopters and drones. They are infrared-guided. They are manufactured in Skarżysko-Kamienna by the state-owned company Mesko, which belongs to PGZ but was developed with private industry participation.
The Piorun missiles have undergone their baptism of fire. They are being used in Ukraine, which is repelling an armed attack from Russia. Polish missiles have been purchased not only by the Polish Army but also by all three Baltic states, Norway, and the United States. In February, the Mesko factory celebrated the production of its 3,000th Piorun .
wnp.pl
