Kongsberg Defence Australia has secured two export deals worth a combined $80 million. These deals will see missile launchers and command and control consoles made in South Australia exported to Europe.
“It will be the first time Naval Strike Missile launchers are manufactured outside of Europe and the United States, positioning Australia as a trusted source of supply to the Naval Strike Missile capability," Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, said.
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Launcher Systems for two European nations will cost $50 million. The launchers will be manufactured in Australia and exported into Kongsberg's global supply chain.
Last year, the Government added Kongsberg Defence Australia to its Global Supply Chain Program. These export deals are made possible through Australia’s NSM procurement contract, which included an agreement for components to be manufactured in Australia.
“Together with our Australian suppliers, we have demonstrated our determination and competitiveness to be able deliver to our parent company, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace for international customers, highlighting the capability, quality and reliability of our Australian team and supply chain," Managing Director of Kongsberg Defence Australia, John Fry, stated.
“The export contracts under the Commonwealth’s Global Supply Chain Program are creating opportunities in the international market for our local suppliers, which is a fantastic outcome for Australian Defence industry.”
As a result, South Australian companies are now contributing to exporting sophisticated defence hardware to Poland, Spain and Denmark.
“This is a significant moment for Australian defence manufacturing,” Managing Director of Kongsberg Defence Australia, John Fry, affirmed. “To be entrusted with delivering critical NSM launchers for international customers highlights the capability, quality and reliability of our Australian team and supply chain.”
Through its parent company, Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace in Norway, the company will deliver NSM Coastal Defence System Command and Control Consoles to Poland.
“Kongsberg Defence Australia’s ability to export advanced launcher technology supports not only our local growth, but also strengthens the resilience of Australia’s strategic industrial base, establishes a second source of supply, and reinforces our role as a trusted contributor to the NSM capability," Global Supply Chain Program Manager for Kongsberg Defence Australia, Erin Hamblin, said.
The $30 million contract is Kongsberg Defence Australia’s first export as part of the Commonwealth’s Global Supply Chain Program. The company also secured another $50 million order for Australian-made NSM Launcher Systems to be exported to Spain and Denmark.
Both the launcher systems and command and control consoles will be assembled by Kongsberg Defence Australia, and tested in their production and maintenance facility in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. The consoles and launchers will be manufactured using 100 per cent Australian made components and subsystems.
The launcher canisters will be supplied by Aerobond Defence, and complex precision machined components for the launcher will be manufactured by QPE Advanced Machining, both based in Adelaide. The launcher frame and rail and other machined components will be manufactured by Australian companies in Victoria. Some Sydney based companies will also have a role to play.
The NSM is a modern anti-ship cruise missile designed to defeat highly capable enemy warships as well as land-based targets. The NSM is being installed on Navy’s Hobart class destroyers and Anzac class frigates with a successful first of class firing in July 2024 and Initial Operational Capability declaration in 2024.
NSM can be both deck launched from a ship, or truck launched in a coastal defence role. The NSM has been selected by 14 nations including Norway, the United States, UK and Canada.
These deliveries are part of contracts previously signed between Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Denmark and Spain.