Armed Forces of Estonia Procure Piorun MANPADS

In September 2022, an agreement was signed, covering the delivery of 300 missiles and 100 launch units. The agreement was to be finalized between 2023 and 2025.

Piorun MANPADS has been designed for neutralizing helicopters, fixed-wing assets, UAVs, and cruise missiles. The missile features a proximity fuse that makes it possible to hit the target in the event of a near miss.

“In addition to battlefield effectiveness, these air defence systems are much easier to deploy, and operation is manageable after just a few hours of training. The system will be used by a separate war-time unit of the Estonian Defence Forces, which operates under the direct command of the division and is trained based on reservists.” - EDCI’s release reads.

“PIORUN air defence missiles provide additional air defence not only to maneuver units but also to objects that are not in the immediate vicinity of the front line but are located further in the rear, yet are important from the perspective of Estonia’s defense,” said Lieutenant Colonel Tanel Lelov, Head of the Air and Missile Defence Section of the Estonian Division. “In Ukraine, these missiles have proven to be effective against most airborne attack means, and certainly, the principles of their use there will be taken into account in training and employing Estonian units,” he added.

This is the first joint Polish-Estonian defence procurement project, with added benefits of cost-effectiveness, and also rapid delivery.

Framework agreement regarding the aforesaid procurement was signed by and between EDCI and Mesko in the autumn of 2022, while the deliveries began in late 2023. “Despite the general security situation, high demand, and component shortages, Mesko has been able to fulfil its contractual obligations, and deliveries have been timely, showing the utmost commitment of the Polish state and our contracting partner,” commented Ramil Lipp, Strategic Category Manager (Armaments) at ECDI.

The development of short-range air defence capabilities cost a total of 103 million euros, including VAT, with the Government of the Republic of Estonia allocating the sum from Estonia’s military defence reinforcement package.