Poland upgrades its legendary air-defense system based on lessons from the war in Ukraine
At the MSPO defense technology exhibition in Kielce, Poland’s WB Group unveiled the Piorun 2—a new version of its man-portable air-defense system—for the first time.
The Piorun 2 is an upgraded version of the legendary man-portable air-defense system, developed based on combat experience from the war in Ukraine. Although the current Piorun 1 outperforms its competitors, designers at Mesko SA have introduced significant technological changes in the new generation. The new seeker head features multiple tracking channels and includes an additional infrared detection channel. This allows the missile to much more effectively distinguish the actual target (such as a drone or helicopter engine) from thermal decoys (flares) released by aircraft. The new electronic architecture incorporates digital sights and advanced algorithms to optimize the tracking of small objects with low thermal signatures, such as reconnaissance drones or guided missiles.
The Piorun 2 features proportional control. This enables the missile to fly a much smoother trajectory without wasting energy on abrupt corrections, resulting in significantly greater maneuverability. This makes it easier to engage highly maneuverable targets. An improved propulsion unit and a new rocket fuel composition allow the missile to fly farther and faster; the operational range increases from the current 6.5 km to over 8.0 km, and the engagement ceiling rises from 4 km to 5 km. Engineers also redesigned the structure of the warhead itself. During testing, variants were evaluated that provide a more uniform and optimized fragmentation damage pattern, thereby ensuring target destruction even with a near miss.
