World Class Defence Systems
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
In 2021, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) secured a significant order intake and ended the year with a record-high order backlog. A long-term and focused effort to gain market position, with leading technology and solutions, has produced good results. The year 2021 was characterised by large contracts for submarines and missiles, in addition to a high level of activity in air defence and weapon stations.
"The year 2021 has seen exceptionally high levels of activity"
KDA is present in 16 countries and has approx. 3,500 employees.
KDA is a respected global technology leader and a leading supplier within defence, monitoring, space and aerostructures. KDA has built up a solid order backlog with good prospects on the horizon and experienced growth in most product areas and continues to establish positions within new niche markets for maintenance, space travel and the production of advanced structures.
Land Systems
Land Systems is a world-leading supplier of remote-controlled weapon stations, tower systems, radios and radio communications. The weapon stations enable soldiers to operate from a protected position inside a vehicle. The division has produced 20,000 weapons stations that have been delivered to 28 nations.
In 2021, KDA was awarded a framework agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps on serial production of RS6, a 30 mm RWS with cannon and missiles to engage unmanned small drones. U.S. Marine Corps made the first call under this agreement on 26 systems. Since the first stations were produced in the early 2000s, the division has delivered stations to a value in excess of MNOK 40,000. The division’s radios are used in advanced tactical communication systems, such as in vehicles and air defence systems. The tactical communication solutions are used in more than 30 countries.
Integrated Defence Systems
The Integrated Defence Systems division supplies the world-leading air defence system NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System), monitoring systems and artillery fire power, as well as land- and vessel-based combat systems. The division has a strategic cooperation agreement with Raytheon for NASAMS and a joint venture company, kta naval systems AS, for the ORCCA submarine combat system together with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) and Atlas Elektronik.
The year 2021 was characterised by a high level of air defence activity and the contract award for the delivery of ORCCA combat systems for the new Norwegian/German 212CD submarines. The ORCCA activity is being conducted with the longer term in mind, with deliveries over several years, and, significantly, provides an important position and reference for KDA and its partners on the international market.
NASAMS is the best-selling air defence system in the world in its class, with 12 countries using NASAMS elements in their defence systems, but the division is also the world leader in systems for artillery command, vehicle digitisation and marine combat management. The delivery of the world’s largest airport remote management programme, Remote Tower Systems, continues, while the division seeks to position itself for the international market.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace entered into contracts with Norway and Germany to deliver ORCCA™ combat system elements to the six new 212CD submarines, and Naval Strike Missile to the two nations’ Navies.
Space & Surveillance
The Space & Surveillance division supplies a broad spectrum of equipment, systems and services linked to space and maritime surveillance in more than 40 countries. The space portfolio includes equipment and components for satellites used for communication, navigation and earth observation, as well as space probes for space exploration. The division also supplies equipment for launch vehicles that carry craft into space and ground stations that receive data from satellites. Space & Surveillance works closely with customers such as the European Space Agency (ESA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as major players such as Airbus, Thales and Northrop Grumman. The division has recently won a number of contracts to provide market-leading signal processing equipment and mechanisms for the control of solar panels and antennas, for the major EU space monitoring programme Copernicus.
KONGSBERG owns 50 per cent of Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), a world-leading supplier of communication services for spacecraft and launch platforms and advanced monitoring services via satellites. Through its holding in KSAT, KDA is a world-leading supplier of ground stations for the downloading and processing of satellite data, as well as a service provider of satellite data from ground stations in Svalbard, Antarctica and many other locations.
NASA’s Mars rover’s Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX) uses radar waves to explore world that lies beneath the surface. KDA’s Space & Surveillance division assembled, qualified and delivered the RIMFAX Electronics and contributed with consultation in the design process of the radar. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Missile Systems
The Missile Systems division has over 50 years’ experience from a variety of missile programmes. Products include Penguin, the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) which is launched from surface ships, helicopters and fighter aircraft. KONGSBERG is the world’s only supplier of fifth-generation long-range precision strike missiles with stealth capabilities. In 2018, the US Navy chose NSM for its OTH (Over-the-Horizon Weapon System) programme, and in 2020 the US Marine Corps chose NSM for a vehicle-based coastal defence system. These are framework contracts with annual call-offs. During 2021, further JSM supply contracts were entered into with Japan and Norway, as well as delivery contracts for NSM for Norway and Germany. Demand and interest in NSM and JSM are increasing in the global market.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was awarded a contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency to supply the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for Norway’s fleet of F-35A Lightning II fighter aircrafts. Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret
Aerostructures & MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul)
The Aerostructures division comprises a Centre of Excellence and offers deliveries of maintenance services through Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services (KAMS). Production involves complex composite structures, components and metal alloy details. Its core capabilities range from design, prototyping and industrialisation, to mass production for aerospace and other high-performing markets. Activities range from the manufacture of parts for the F-35, missiles and helicopters, to mechanical production for the NASAMS air defence system and the maintenance of dynamic components for helicopters. There was continued growth in 2021, both in production and maintenance services.
Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services (KAMS) is part of the Aerostructures division. With KAMS, KONGSBERG has taken a new strategic step into the maintenance market for aircraft and helicopters in the Nordic region and Northern Europe. KAMS is jointly owned by KDA, which owns 50.1 per cent, and Patria, which owns 49.9 per cent. KAMS is a strategic partner of the Norwegian Armed Forces for the maintenance of air systems.
Patria
The Finnish company Patria is an international supplier of systems and services for defence, security and aviation. The company specialises in maintenance services and covers all defence aspects within MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul). Patria is a company which has approximately 3,000 employees and owns 50 per cent of the shares in Nammo. KONGSBERG holds 49.9 per cent of the shares in Patria.