The Norwegian Armed Forces will be equipped with Piorun missile systems manufactured by Mesko of Skarżysko-Kamienna, part of the Polish Armaments Group. Mesko will supply several hundred Piorun missiles and launchers as part of a contract worth tens of millions of euros. The contract was signed in Oslo on Tuesday by the company’s vice-president Przemysław Kowalczuk.

“The contract is the result of an open procedure in which we competed with European and US suppliers of this class of armament. The work carried out over the last year by the Polish Armaments Group showed that our offer turned out to be much better than our competitors and we won the tender”, Kowalczuk said.

The vice-president of Mesko adds that the contract with Norway is not the last one to be expected in the near future.

“This is not the end of our expansion into external markets. Our strategy for this product group is based on such expansion. In a fairly short period of time, we have successfully adapted our offer to the specific requirements of the Norwegian customer, which proves our flexibility both in terms of business and technology”, he pointed out.

Mesko has been conducting extensive cooperation with the Norwegian company Nammo in the field of medium-calibre ammunition for years, but the currently signed contract is the first for the supply of this type of armament for the Norwegian Armed Forces. Previously, Estonia and the United States decided to purchase Polish systems.

The Piorun sets are designed to combat low-flying airships (aircraft, helicopters, drones). Their high combat effectiveness has been confirmed by Ukrainians fighting against Russian aggression. In June, the head of the Ministry of Defence approved an agreement increasing the number of Piorun anti-aircraft missile systems ordered for the Polish Army to 3,500 missiles and 600 launchers.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński