On Friday, August 16, 2024, the first PIORUN MANPADS field shootings were conducted by the rifle battalion in Finnmark County, in which representatives of the MESKO company participated. Field shootings were conducted by the newly established air defense unit BLV (Med berbart luftvern).

 

The Piorun MANPADS is to constitute the first layer of a more complex air defense in the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces, which is currently being built in Finnmark County, strengthening their defense against UAVs and helicopters.

 

The Norwegian Armed Forces conducted the first field shootings using the PIORUN MANPADS, ordered in November 2022. Obtaining this contract was a great success for the Polish arms industry, because the PIORUN MANPADS was selected by the Norwegians as a result of an open tender procedure in which defense contractors from Sweden, France and the United States participated. The first PIORUN launchers appeared in Norway in December 2023, just over a year after the contract was signed.

 

Photo: Forsvaret