Page 11 - ADT NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2023 Online Magazine

of antennas (21 feet, 18 feet and 12 feet compact antennas). of Kongsberg. Deliveries of the new systems will
continue into the 2030’s. Kongsberg will deliver
four NSM (naval strike missile) coastal defence
The new radar systems, will allow the RTN to conduct enhanced system (CDS) squadrons to Poland, which was
coastal surveillance as all the radars feature Terma’s ET2 embedded the first nation to acquire the NSM CDS capa-
tracker. The ET2 embedded tracker automatically logs the behaviour bility in 2008, and then ordered an additional
of any suspicious vessel, regardless of its size or shape. The mix of squadron in 2014. The NSM can be launched
antennas and the powerful radar systems will enable the RTN to from both land- and sea-based platforms
detect basically anything moving on the surface of the sea, includ- and is already in use by, or under delivery to,
ing fast-moving small vessels, smuggler boats hiding behind larger 12 countries. The fifth generation strike missile
vessels and even targets as small as a swimmer’s head above water was initially developed by Kongsberg for the
in high seas. The supply of radars, marks Terma’s first coastal sur- Norwegian Navy.
veillance project in Thailand.

New Contenders MBDA is also developing a new generation
of coastal batteries under the MCDS (Missile
Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence System is also Coastal Defence System) programme for export
attracting attention from navies in the region, though it is yet to customers. With its wide portfolio of anti-ship
bag an order. In September, however, Kongsberg won a contract missiles, MBDA has developed a particularly
from Poland for the coastal defence system in a deal worth approxi- flexible system that can operate various mis-
mately NOK 16 billion. This is the largest single contract in the history siles at various ranges, allowing customers to
optimise their defences accordingly with the
geography of their maritime approaches.

The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) inaugurated
their new coastal defence system in February,
this year. The innovative coastal missile system
supplied by MBDA deploys two different missiles,
the Marte ER (Extended Range) which is in the
100 km class and Exocet MM40 Block 3 which is
in the 200 km class. These missiles will be able to
work in autonomous mode with their own radar,
or alternatively by data-linking to a higher level
within the wider coastal surveillance network.

The Marte ER represents the third generation of
the Marte family of anti-ship missiles and is a
multiplatform missile family thanks to its medium
weight and size class, which makes it the opti-
mal response to medium range threats. It has
been designed to be used on fast jets and the
new generation, naval versions of the European
NFH90 and AW101 helicopters. Derived from the
Marte MK2/S the Marte ER version differs mainly
through the introduction of a turbojet engine
significantly increasing the missile’s effective

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2023 | 11