France plans to acquire Polish Piorun MANPADS under the SAFE program, despite its own Mistral production. Some of the systems will be transferred to Ukraine to strengthen its defense against enemy aircraft.
The French government intends to purchase a batch of Polish Piorun man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) as part of the new European defense credit program SAFE. Despite having its own production of Mistral systems, Paris is interested in Polish counterparts due to their compactness and high efficiency, confirmed in real combat conditions in Ukraine. This is reported by UNN with reference to Defense Express.
Details
According to preliminary plans, a significant part of the ordered weapons will be transferred to the Defense Forces of Ukraine to strengthen protection against enemy aircraft and cruise missiles.
The purchase will be made using the SAFE credit line, the total volume of which for France is 16.2 billion euros. It is expected that approximately 70% of the total number of purchased Piorun systems will replenish the arsenals of the French army, while the remaining 30% will go to Ukraine as military aid.
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This step will allow France to quickly meet its needs for mobile air defense systems, as the Polish manufacturer Mesko demonstrates record production rates – about 1300 missiles per year, which exceeds the production figures of Stinger and Mistral combined.
Technical advantages of Piorun over French counterparts
The choice of the Polish system instead of the domestic Mistral is primarily explained by the operational flexibility of Piorun, which can be transported and used by one person.
The French Mistral MANPADS, although it has similar engagement characteristics, is significantly more cumbersome and requires a special launcher or platform. In contrast, Piorun is capable of intercepting targets at a distance of up to 6.5 km and an altitude of up to 4 km, which makes it an indispensable tool for mobile fire groups in combating helicopters and low-flying drones.
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