Slovakia, Poland near deal for short-range air defense weapons

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — The Polish and Slovak governments are nearing a deal for the purchase of short-range, man-portable air defense systems, according to the manufacturer, as part of Slovakia’s push to bolster its anti-aircraft capabilities.

“We are in advanced negotiations with the Slovak Ministry of Defense for the sale of the Piorun systems, and we look forward to conclude a government-to-government contract by the end of this year,” a representative from the Polish Armaments Group PGZ, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, told Defense News during the IDEB defense fair, held here May 14-16.

PGZ’s flagship weapon is the Piorun (Thunderbolt), designed to destroy drones, helicopters, aircraft and winged rockets. It is able to hit targets at an altitude of up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) and has a maximum range of 6.5 kilometers (4 miles), according to data from the company.

Slovakia has identified gaps in it air-defense capabilities, a shortfall deemed urgent by many eastern European nations who fear Russian aggression beyond Ukraine.

In April 2022, the previous government donated a S-300 air defense weapon to Ukraine, a key part of its air defense network. At the time, U.S. European Command temporarily relocated a Patriot system to Slovakia to help protect its skies.

Late last year, Slovakia’s defense ministry published a list of recommendations for very-short-range (VSHORAD) and medium-range (MRAD) air defense systems to buy, based on an evaluation process.

“The MoD recommends that VSHORAD systems be procured from Poland via a G2G agreement, the best offer from Poland was followed by the offers from Sweden, France and South Korea,” the study said.

For the MRAD systems, defense officials recommended the purchase of a mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile from Israel.

Following this, the Slovak government stated its intention to procure 36 Polish-made Piorun sets and one Barak MX MRSAM-M system, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.

The overall procurement costs for these two types of air defense systems is estimated at €194 million ($210,4 million), and both are expected to enter into service with the Slovak Armed Forces from 2024 to 2027.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

斯洛伐克布拉迪斯拉发——据制造商称，波兰和斯洛伐克政府即将达成一项协议，购买短程、便携式防空系统，这是斯洛伐克加强其防空能力的举措之一。

“我们正在与斯洛伐克国防部就出售Piorun系统进行深入谈判，我们期待在今年年底前达成政府间合同，”波兰军备集团PGZ的一位代表在5月14日至16日于此地举行的IDEB防务展期间，匿名接受《防务新闻》采访时表示。

PGZ公司的旗舰武器是“雷霆”（Piorun），设计用于摧毁无人机、直升机、飞机和带翼火箭。根据该公司的数据，它能够打击高达4公里（2.5英里）高度的目标，最大射程为6.5公里（4英里）。

斯洛伐克发现其防空能力存在不足，许多东欧国家担心俄罗斯会向乌克兰以外的地区发动侵略，因此认为这一不足迫在眉睫。

2022年4月，乌克兰前政府向乌克兰捐赠了一套S-300防空系统，这是其防空网络的重要组成部分。与此同时，美国欧洲司令部将一套“爱国者”导弹系统临时调往斯洛伐克，以帮助其保卫领空。

去年底，斯洛伐克国防部根据评估过程，公布了一份超短程（VSHORAD）和中程（MRAD）防空系统采购建议清单。

该研究称：“国防部建议通过政府间协议从波兰采购超近程防空系统，波兰的报价最优，其次是瑞典、法国和韩国的报价。”

对于中程防空系统，国防官员建议从以色列购买移动式中程地对空导弹。

随后，斯洛伐克政府表示有意采购 36 套波兰制造的 Piorun 导弹系统和一套以色列航空航天工业公司制造的 Barak MX MRSAM-M 导弹系统。

这两种防空系统的总采购成本估计为 1.94 亿欧元（2.104 亿美元），预计这两种系统将于 2024 年至 2027 年间在斯洛伐克武装部队服役。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。