Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace


Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen of Norway and a supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications. Today, the company is probably best known abroad for its development/industrialisation and production of the first passive IR homing anti-ship missile of the western world, the Penguin, starting delivery in the early 1970s. As of 2021, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace had 3,500 employees.
Space related activities are conducted within Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace's Space & Surveillance division and Kongsberg Satellite Services. Notable space related products from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace are the Booster Attachment and Release Mechanisms for ESA's Ariane 5. In the early 1990s, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was involved with NASA's JPL and Germany's DASA in software development of the test/checkout system, as well as spacecraft hardware production, for the NASA/ESA Cassini–Huygens space probe. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has also delivered the Solar Array Drive Mechanism for ESA's Rosetta space probe.
On 22 November 2008, Norwegian Minister of Defence Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen opened a new Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace plant that will produce parts for the aircraft recently chosen as Norway's future fighter, the F-35 Lightning II.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has expanded its presence in the commercial space sector through a $12 million strategic investment in SpinLaunch, supporting the development and commercialization of the Meridian Space low Earth orbit broadband satellite constellation. As part of this partnership, Kongsberg NanoAvionics was chosen as the exclusive supplier for the initial deployment, securing a €122.5 million contract to deliver 280 microsatellites and two prototypes, including an in-orbit demonstrator planned for 2026.
The collaboration highlights Kongsberg’s commitment to innovative, sustainable satellite communications, with the Meridian constellation expected to deliver significantly higher broadband capacity than current market offerings and enable rapid, large-scale deployment using advanced launch technology.
WWW kongsberg.com/kda

Owners and ownership in other companies

It is fully owned by Kongsberg Gruppen ASA
Its subsidiaries are Kongsberg Spacetec AS, Kongsberg Hungaria Kft, Kongsberg Norcontrol AS, Kongsberg Defence Corp., Kongsberg Defence Oy, Kongsberg Defence Sp. Z.O.O., Kongsberg Gallium Ltd., and Kongsberg Defence Ltd. Co.
It owns 50% of Kongsberg Satellite Services AS, and 77% of Kongsberg NanoAvionics AUB.

Toshiba-Kongsberg affair

In 1987, Toshiba Machine, a subsidiary of Toshiba, was accused of illegally selling CNC milling machines used to produce very quiet submarine propellers to the Soviet Union in violation of the CoCom agreement, an international embargo on certain countries to COMECON countries. The Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal involved a subsidiary of Toshiba and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. The incident strained relations between the United States and Japan, and resulted in the arrest and prosecution of two senior executives, as well as the imposition of sanctions on the company by both countries.

Products

Air defence systems

  • NASAMS - a network centric short to medium range air-defence system made of several elements, in collaboration with Raytheon:
  • * FDC – a command module for missile launch that can be used for surface-to-surface missile systems and for surface-to-air systems.
  • * A radar AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel provided by Raytheon. The GhostEye radar will be the future radar of the NASAMS.
  • * Missile launchers.
  • ** Base launcher on a platform.
  • ** SLAMRAAM – a potential launcher for the NASAMS system.
  • NOMADS

Missile systems

Weapon stations

Combat systems

  • C4ISR
  • * NATO AGS – a system for storing, managing and disseminating joint ISR.
  • * NOR DSAR – a system for dissemination, storage, archival and retrieval for Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance data and information.
  • * Odin Fire Support System – an artillery fire command and targeting system.
  • Kongsberg ICS – a hardware / software digital networking system for land combat vehicle, improving the situational awareness, and providing C3I solutions.
  • FDC – a flexible command module for missile launch that can be used for surface-to-surface missile systems and for surface-to-air systems:
  • * FDC Coastal Defence – system controlling the sensors and the weapons of the coastal NSM system.
  • * NASAMS FDC – a FDC system adapted to the NASAMS air defence system.
  • * BFDC – a FDC system adapted to the HAWK air defence system, controlling up to 2 firing sections, and capable of networking with other FDC in the battery.
  • * FDC-S – system optimised for the control and coordination of SHORAD and V/SHORAD weapon systems.
  • * GBADOC – a GBAD C2 unit.
  • * BOC – used for the command of air-defence battalions.
  • * FDC Precision Fires – system used by the army command to coordinate the air-space use for precision fire.
  • NORTaC-C2IS – Norwegian C2 system for tactical army operations.
  • Software for the E3A AWACS used by NATO in Europe.

Naval systems

  • CMS – a system that can be used for submarines, OPV, frigates, coast guards.
  • CNS – a system that can be used for submarines, OPV, frigates, coast guards.
  • Submarine systems
  • * MSI-90U / MSI-90U Mk2 – command and arms control for submarines.
  • * CMS.
  • * CNS.
  • * SPS – sonar system for situational awareness.
  • * Link.
  • * Training systems.
  • MSI 2005F – anti-submarine warfare systems for the.
  • Senit 2000 – command system for the, the.
  • MMCM :
  • * Minesniper Mk III – a lightweight and low cost remote controlled robot for mine mine verification and neutralisation.
  • * MICOS C2 - command system for mine countermeasure vessels.
  • Vanguard – a naval MUM-T system.
  • Training systems
  • * K-Sim – a ship operation simulator
  • * PROTEUS simulators – a vast list of training systems for all types of command, combat, weapon and sensor systems on military vessels.
  • * INTERACT – a system that connects all the PROTEUS and K-Sim aiming to create a complex simulating and training environment and prepare many scenarios.
  • KAMP – tactical planning system for naval operations of the NH90.

Communications

Sensors

  • PHAROX – a modular multi sensor system used to detect, track and identify objects.
  • MEOS antennas – low earth orbit tracking antennas.

Aviation & security

  • Kongsberg Digital towers.

Aerospace

  • Geospatial Technology for Defense Systems:
  • * TerraLens – a geospatial software used with numerous aircraft, naval systems, missile systems, ground systems, unmanned systems.

Products in development

Air defence systems

  • NOMADS – a mechanised air defence system based on the ACSV G5. It uses some of the weapons and technologies of the NASAMS. It has been tested with the IRIS-T SLS missiles, but will likely be used with the AIM-9X missiles.

Missiles

  • 3SM Tyrfing – a super sonic cruise missile for land-attack and anti-ship roles, primarily designed ships. The project is led by Kongsberg, with Diehl, MBDA Deutschland and Nammo as subcontractors.
  • Variants of the NSM
  • * NSM-AL – a variant wanted by the Spanish Navy for its fleet of NH90 HHSPN.
  • * NSM-SL – a variant wanted by the Spanish Navy for its S-80 Plus submarines and that might be selected by Germany and Norway on the Type 212CD.