Photo: Defence Connect

Kongsberg Defence Australia has signed a five-year sustainment contract with Raytheon Australia for the NASAMS capability being delivered to the Australian Army under Project LAND 19 Phase 7B.

Signed late last year, the $9 million contract includes the provision of recurring support services for Kongsberg-provided sub-systems such as the Fire Distribution Centre, Canister Launcher, and NASAMS Classroom Trainer, as well as the provision of Field Service Representatives.

Kongsberg Defence Australia’s general manager, John Fry welcomed the contract saying, “This announcement highlights the close partnership shared between the KONGSBERG teams in Norway and Australia both working together to ensure our local workforce has the technical skills and expertise to support this transformational capability for the Australian Army.”

The contract demonstrates the success and effectiveness of the technology transfer that has occurred between Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Kongsberg Defence Australia during the acquisition project.

NASAMS (National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) is a state-of-the-art weapons system selected by 10 other nations that will enable the Army to quickly detect, engage and destroy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missile threats.

Raytheon Australia in collaboration with Kongsberg will be responsible for delivering LAND 19 Phase 7 – a ground-based surface-to-air missile system with beyond-visual-range capability for the Australian Army.

Australia’s selection of NASAMS is expected to bring a transformational change to the Army’s existing force protection capability, including a progression from man-portable Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) capability to a fully networked and distributed system.

The advancements provided by NASAMS will allow the Army to counter complex air threats beyond visual range and significantly increases protection coverage for Australian soldiers.
Advanced radars designed and manufactured by Canberra-based company CEA Technologies will be integrated with Australian-designed and built vehicles – namely the Bendigo-built Thales Hawkei protected mobility vehicles.
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