02 December 2019

Norwegian Army MGBADS IOC by mid-2023

by Robin Hughes

The Norwegian Army is scheduled to accept initial deliveries of a new mobile ground-based short-range air-defence system from prime contractor Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (Kongsberg) in late 2022, with all units expected to be delivered, and an initial operating capability (IOC), by mid-2023.

The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), under the auspices of Investment Project 7628 Kampluftvern (Combat Air Defence), initiated the procurement process for the Army Mobile Ground Based Air Defence System, with the announcement, in February 2017, of a direct acquisition strategy with Kongsberg.

The overall budget for Project 7628 is NOK948 million (USD113.2 million) – approved by the Norwegian Parliament in 2015. The Project provides for both new acquisitions and the re-use of existing equipment from the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s (RNoAF) current National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) capability, designated ‘NASAMS III’ by the service.

The NDMA has worked with Kongsberg to define the technology solution and final configuration of the MGBADS capability. On 31 October this year, the agency awarded Kongsberg a NOK583 million (USD64 million) contract to deliver an unspecified number of MGBADS units to the Norwegian Army. This is, in effect, a new system, with Kongsberg, as prime contractor and systems integrator, and in co-ordination with the army and NDMA, identifying and integrating the MGBADS subsystems. Several components in this solution are government furnished equipment, including the Diehl Defence IRIS-T interceptors.

Computer-generated image illustrating the concept of the Mobile Ground Based Air Defence for the Norwegian Army (Kongsberg)

The Norwegian Army is scheduled to accept initial deliveries of a new mobile ground-based short-rang...

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