Kongsberg grows its Australian presence

Norwegian defence contractor Kongsberg Defence Australia has announced a significant investment in a dedicated facility at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide to support the delivery and support of Defence acquisition programmes.

The company is involved in numerous Australian defence programmes, and in April the Commonwealth announced the accelerated acquisition of the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile to replace the Harpoon missile on both of the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac Class Frigates and Hobart Class Destroyers under Project SEA 1300.

This project will see this fifth generation precision strike missile enter service with the Navy from 2024.

Kongsberg Defence Australia’s General Manager John Fry said: “With current activities and future
growth opportunities, this significant investment in a new facility in Mawson Lakes is an important
demonstration of our long‐term commitment to Australia and the region.

“This facility is the first in the Asia‐Pacific region for Kongsberg’s defence business and will create more than 50 highly‐skilled jobs, all supporting capability delivery to the Australian Defence Force.”

Kongsberg said it was committed to technology transfer and establishing a local supplier base to support its programmes.

Its new 2,500 sqm facility will be located in Adelaide’s Technology Park ‐ a vibrant, business hub currently home to many global defence and technology companies.

It will support a range of activities including hardware manufacture, assembly, integration, test, verification, and maintenance, as well as software development and support.

Kongsberg specialises in areas including Command, Control, Computing, and Communication (C4) systems, Ground Based Air Defence, remote weapon systems, and precision strike missiles.

The company’s C4 system for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) capability is currently under production locally for the Australian Army through Raytheon Australia.

Kongsberg is also under contract with Hanwha Defence Australia as its C4 software integration partner under Project LAND 8116 Phase 1, and is integrating its Protected Mobile Fires capability into the Army’s C4 Force Structure.

Deputy Premier of South Australia Susan Close said: “South Australia’s reputation for being known as the country’s defence state will be further boosted by the investment being made in Mawson Lakes by Norwegian defence and technology company, Kongsberg.

“Their first Defence facility within the Asia‐Pacific region will provide South Australians with skilled jobs that contribute to Australia’s Defence Force and will also bring opportunities for collaboration and partnerships within their global supply chain.”

Picture: Kongsberg