Page 14 - AVALON 2023 - Day 2 | DAILY NEWS

installed on Norwegian K9 howitzers, but
KONGSBERG MISSILES Australian vehicles will have more screens.
Fry said his company is at the detailed
design stage of this work.
AIM HIGH IN AUSTRALIA Kongsberg’s third line of effort is the

250+km-range Naval Strike Missile (NSM),
Norwegian entity Kongsberg is involved acquisition on 20 July 2019. A level of about with Canberra signing a contract on 20
in three important Australian military pro- 60% Australian industrial involvement will December 2022 under Project Sea 1300.
grammes, as the company greatly expands be achieved in the project. Under an accelerated acquisition, the NSM
its footprint via its Kongsberg Defence will replace Harpoon missiles on Anzac-
Australia (KDAu) subsidiary. The trio are the An Australian battery contains Mk 2 canis- class frigates and Hobart-class destroyers.
National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile ter launchers; Hawkei-based high-mobility Fry said the NSM would also be suitable
System (NASAMS), AS9 Huntsman 155mm launchers for four missiles; an FDC; a CEA for Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels.
self-propelled howitzers and Naval Strike Tactical AESA radar as the primary fire
Missile. control radar mounted on a Hawkei; a CEA Australia selected the NSM on 5 April 2022,
Operational AESA radar for longer-range and the first missiles will be delivered next
Befitting its rising status in Australia, the surveillance mounted on an 8x8 truck; year. KDAu will manufacture and assem-
company acquired land at Mawson Lakes, and a Raytheon AN/AAS-52 Multispectral ble NSM launchers, integrate energetics
and work on a 2,500m² facility is ongoing. Targeting System MTS-A sensor on a 5m and also investigate a sovereign capability.
It is scheduled for occupation in January telescopic mast carried by a Hawkei. Incidentally, Marand has recently been sub-
2024. contracted to make launch ramp systems
Australia procured two NASAMS batteries for the NSM.
John Fry, General Manager of KDAu, said to be operated by 16 Regiment based near
his company had delivered all Mk 2 canis- Adelaide. They can fire both AMRAAM and Another tantalising product Kongsberg is
ter launchers for the NASAMS air defence AIM-9X missiles. Interestingly, Australia proffering to Australia is the Joint Strike
system, and that work on fire distribution could also fire AMRAAM-ER missiles if it Missile (JSM), the only maritime strike and
centres (FDC) is about 60% complete. The procured them. If Australia wants a lon- land attack cruise missile able to be carried
company is working under prime contractor ger-range air defence capability, Fry said internally in F-35A/C fighters. Japan and
Raytheon Australia for this Project Land 19 the AMRAAM-ER would be an ideal way to Norway are the first two customers, but
Phase 7B. do so quickly. Fry expects most F-35 users to eventually
adopt the JSM.
The FDCs fit inside a 13-foot container KDAu is also responsible for supplying
and are carried by a 4x4 truck. Each FDC NASAMS classroom trainers. An initial Finally, Kongsberg is exhibiting its
comprises approximately 10,000 compo- operational capability for NASAMS is sup- StrikeMaster at Avalon Airshow 2023. The
nents, the vast majority manufactured by posed to occur next year. StrikeMaster combines a Bushmaster utility
Australian supply chain partners. The Mk vehicle with two NSMs, creating a mobile
2 launchers feature six missile canisters The second major programme for KDAu system suitable for coastal defence. Fry
mounted on a flatbed pallet carried about is Project Land 8116 Phase 1, where believes it is ideal for Project Land 4100
on 8x8 trucks. Kongsberg is supplying an integrated Phase 2, and gives Australia a low-risk
combat solution on AS9 and AS10 artillery opportunity given that the navy will soon
Australia had announced the signing of this pieces, essentially screens and software. be using the NSM. The StrikeMaster is
AUD1.5 billion (USD1.04 billion) NASAMS This system is based on Norway’s Vidar, as attracting international enquiries already.

© Kongsberg Defence Australia

14 | MARCH-01-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS