Breaking News: Belgium enhances air defense with Polish PIORUN portable missile system acquisition.

According to information published by Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken on his official X account on July 29, 2025, Belgium has officially confirmed the acquisition of Polish-made 40 PIORUN Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), a surface-to-air missile, with deliveries set to begin later this year.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The PIORUN is a Polish man-portable air defense system designed to engage aircraft, helicopters, and drones at low altitudes with infrared-guided missiles. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The €137 million contract includes several hundred missiles and is intended to equip the Belgian Army, including the Special Operations Regiment, which has been without a modern short-range air defense solution for over 15 years. This milestone finalizes a procurement plan initially announced by the Belgian Ministry of Defense in March 2024 and represents a significant step in revitalizing Belgium’s ground-based air defense capabilities.

The PIORUN is a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS), a lightweight, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile designed for single-soldier operation. MANPADS are intended to provide short-range air defense against low-flying aerial threats such as helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and drones. These systems are critical for protecting frontline units in mobile and dispersed operations, offering rapid deployment, ease of use, and autonomous engagement capabilities. PIORUN represents the latest evolution of this category, incorporating advanced sensors, improved guidance, and hardened electronics to resist enemy countermeasures on modern battlefields.

Developed by the Polish defense manufacturer Mesko in cooperation with Poland’s Military University of Technology, the PIORUN system is an advanced derivative of the GROM family. It uses an infrared-guided missile equipped with a dual-mode warhead featuring both impact and proximity fuzes, allowing it to neutralize fast-moving or small aerial targets with greater reliability. The system is capable of engaging targets at ranges up to 6.5 kilometers and altitudes between 10 and 4000 meters. It is designed to operate effectively in environments saturated with electronic jamming, a capability proven on the Ukrainian battlefield where the PIORUN has scored numerous confirmed kills against Russian aircraft and drones.

This acquisition marks Belgium’s first operational procurement of a front-line Polish weapon system and signals a notable shift in defense-industrial cooperation within Europe. While Belgium has traditionally sourced much of its high-end defense technology from Western European or transatlantic partners, this move highlights Poland’s emergence as a serious and credible supplier of advanced military equipment. The performance of PIORUN in real combat scenarios, particularly in Ukraine, has been a key factor in its growing adoption by NATO member states.

For the Belgian Armed Forces, the arrival of PIORUN fills a critical capability gap in short-range air defense, an area that has seen limited modernization over the past two decades. The system’s deployment with the Special Operations Regiment will provide agile, front-line air defense for elite troops who often operate independently in high-threat environments. Mounted variants may also be explored in future phases to enhance mobility and provide convoy or base protection.

Minister Francken, who initiated bilateral discussions with his Polish counterpart during his first NATO ministerial summit and visited the PIORUN portable air defense missile system production line in Poland, emphasized that this procurement reflects a serious commitment to national defense readiness. He stated that the deal embodies both effective European cooperation and Belgium’s renewed seriousness in addressing long-neglected operational shortfalls. With this acquisition, Belgium joins a growing list of European nations integrating PIORUN into their ground forces, reinforcing the system’s status as one of the most effective MANPADS in service today.