Piorun MANPADS delivered to Sweden

Sweden has taken delivery of its first PIORUN MANPADS which will help boost the country’s short-range air defence capabilities. 

BLUF: 

• Sweden takes delivery of Piorun MANPADS with a range of 6.5 km. 
• More work to be done to get them into service, but its delivery does reflect the speed with which MoD’s are able to move when the right impetus is in place. 

Sweden has taken delivery of its first Piorun man portable air defence systems (MANPADS) just three months after placing a contract with Polish supplier, MESKO. The systems were delivered by MESKO in December and handed over to the Swedish armed forces the same day, a January 27 announcement on the Swedish MoD’s (FMV) website states.

“RBS102 is a qualified system that is already in use in other countries and with which we have had dialogue regarding certain issues. This has meant that we have been able to do certain things faster,” Johan Lind, project manager for the airborne air defence at the FMV said. 

However, he added that there was more to be done, “even though we have completed an initial material delivery, there is still a lot of work to do to fully deploy the system.” This likely refers to training and building out safety cases for the Piorun’s use. 

He also explained that the FMV is trying to make quicker decisions on procurement, but there has been some friction around the procurement of existing equipment from abroad. There is a desire for “Swedish special solutions,” he explained, no doubt including systems like the RBS-70 from Saab, which Sweden placed an additional order for in July 2025. 

Several NATO states have ordered the Piorun since it was supplied to Ukraine in the prelude to Russia’s invasion. This includes Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. In Ukraine, the missile has been credited with downing Russian fast jets like the Su-34. 

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In Swedish service the Piorun will be designated RBS102, it provides an engagement range of 6.5 km and up to a maximum altitude of 4 km. It has an average flight speed of 560 metres per second and is armed with a high explosive fragmentation warhead and proximity fuze. The missile is optically aimed and uses a seeker to guide the missile to its target. 

Calibre comment: MANPADS for everyone

MANPADS had the effect of altering Russian air tactics in Ukraine and rapidly exhausting infrared counter-measures for its helicopters. This forced pilots to fly different, more challenging routes, and eventually avoid the frontline as much as possible. Piorun, Starstreak, Stinger, RBS 70 and the Light Multi-role missile have all played a role in delivering this effect. However, there were some challenges in the early stages of the war with friendly fire incidents occurring as a result of the missiles being so widely distributed. Nevertheless, their impact does provide an indication of how MANPADS can shape an adversary’s ability to exert air superiority. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on January 28, 2026. The lead image shows a Swedish soldier carrying a Piorun MANPADS. Credit: FMV.