Poland’s Mesko signs €1.9bn deal to supply Piorun air-defence systems to four NATO countries

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Polish state defence firm Mesko has signed an 8 billion zloty (€1.9 billion) agreement to supply its Piorun man-portable air-defence systems to the armed forces of Poland, Norway, Lithuania and Latvia. The deal is being financed through the European Union’s SAFE mechanism.

The agreement represents the largest-ever purchase of Pioruns, which have become an export hit for Mesko after proving their worth during Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression. Previous buyers include Sweden, the United States, Belgium, Estonia and Norway itself.

The deal will see the firm provide “several hundred” launchers and “several thousand” missiles for its shoulder-fired Piorun systems, which target low-flying aircraft such as planes, helicopters and drones. Over 80% will be supplied to Poland’s armed forces, with the remainder going to its three NATO allies.

The purchase is being funded through SAFE, which provides loans at preferential terms for defence spending. While SAFE can be used individually by countries to make purchases for their own armed forces, some funds are designated for joint procurement by groups of countries (including non-EU member Norway).

“Our partners from Lithuania, Latvia and Norway have decided to purchase from Poland,” declared deputy defence minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, who oversees Poland’s participation in SAFE.

“We are a leader in the SAFE mechanism and are the first to create such agreements. For the first time, the [Polish defence ministry’s] Armaments Agency is making purchases not only for the Polish armed forces, but also for those of our allies.”

“This is a measure of the success of the Polish arms industry,” declared defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as the deal was announced on Monday. “This is the moment when Poland can proudly say: we are a European leader.”

He noted that Mesko’s production capacity is now 2.5 times larger than it was when the current government took power in December 2023. Since SAFE launched in May, the firm’s staffing, which stood at 3,200 by the end of last year, has increased by around 200, added the minister.

Poland is by far the largest recipient of SAFE funds, with around €44 billion. The government says that SAFE will not only bolster Poland’s defence capabilities but also provide a boost to the domestic defence industry, where around 90% of the funds will be spent.

However, the programme has been opposed by the right-wing opposition and opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki, who argue that it will give Brussels too much influence over Polish defence spending and burden Poland with decades of debt on uncertain terms.

In 2022, Pioruns were among the large quantities of military equipment Poland provided to Ukraine to help its eastern neighbour defend itself from Russia’s full-scale invasion. The systems were successfully used to take down a variety of Russian aircraft.

In that same year, Mesko announced that the US government had ordered “several hundred” Piorun systems, while Norway also put in a similar order.

Last year, Belgium and Sweden announced that they would purchase hundreds of Pioruns, while Ukraine itself also revealed that it had requested a €120 million loan from Poland to help fund the purchase of Polish-made weapons, including Pioruns.

Earlier this year, Mesko, which belongs to the state defence holding group PGZ, announced the best financial results in its 100-year history. The firm’s revenues of 2.3 billion zloty in 2025 were up 33% year-on-year, driven by international demand for Pioruns.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Mesko (press materials)

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.