KONGSBERG, Norway: The Finnish Ministry of Defense has selected the Kongsberg/Raytheon Air Defence System – NASAMS – to fulfill Finland’s future Medium Range Air Defense Missile System (MRADMS) requirements. The contract is valued at appr. 3 billion NOK.
“We’re very pleased with the announcement and are committed to supporting the Finnish armed forces in making the MRADMS program a success,” said Kongsberg’s CEO Walter Qvam. “The NASAMS system will contribute to ensure Finland’s national security, and the MRADMS project will bring substantial Industrial Participation for Finish industry. It will also open up for increased export possibilities for Finnish industry. ”
The NASAMS Ground Based Air Defense System is designed and built in a transatlantic cooperation with Kongsberg (Norway) and Raytheon (USA). The NASAMS system is robust, reliable and designed to excel in air defense operations. NASAMS features state-of-the-art sensors, command, control and communication systems and missile technology.
The system is a network-enabled capability and distributed that utilizes the Raytheon MPQ-64F2 multifunctional radar and the AIM 120 AMRAAM missile in a surfaced launched mode. The Kongsberg-Raytheon team has more than 25 years’ joint experience of delivering air defense systems to six NATO customers as well as Sweden.
NASAMS was developed in close cooperation with the Royal Norwegian Air Force during the 1990s and has since then been contracted by the Netherlands, Spain, and the US. In latter case, the high capacity system was operational in connection with the inauguration of the US president in Washington DC in 2005. It has been in continuous operation ever since. “Finland’s choice confirms the Kongsberg/Raytheon team’s position as the leading air defence supplier in Europe and NATO, said Kongsbergs Harald Ånnestad.”
This contract will provide Finland with the most recent version of the system: NASAMS II that was completed and delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) in 2007. “In a Nordic context, this choice of system opens up exciting opportunities for cooperation, operation, maintenance and even further joint Finish-Norwegian evolution of the system”, comments Kongsberg’s Harald Ånnestad.
“We look forward to working with the Finnish Defense Forces to provide Finland with the finest medium range air defense system,” said Pete Franklin, vice president, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems’ National & Theater Security Programs. “I am confident that this relationship will be as fruitful and enduring as our relationship with Kongsberg and the Norwegian Air Force.”
Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.
Kongsberg is a multinational, knowledge-based group with more than 5200 employees in more than 25 countries. The Group supplies high-technology systems and solutions to customers engaged in the oil and gas industry, the merchant marine, and the defense and aerospace industries.
