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On Tuesday, Kongsberg Defence Australia announced a milestone for the LAND 19 Phase 7B program, with the commencement of in-country manufacturing activities for the Fire Distribution Centre (FDC) shelter subsystem.
Together with Raytheon Australia, Kongsberg will deliver a National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) capability for the Australian Army. First developed for the Royal Norwegian Air Force, NASAMS has since been embraced as a core part of regional defence strategies around the world including the Netherlands, Spain, the US National Capital Region, Finland and an undisclosed nation.
A state-of-the-art ground based air sefence system with beyond-visual-range capability, NASAMS enables the Army to quickly detect, engage, and destroy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missile threats. The companies entered into a 10-year agreement in June 2015 to expand their partnership on NASAMS until 2025.
The Fire Distribution Centre ensures BMC4I functionality for a range of air defence system configurations including NASAMS, as well as Kongsberg's Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence System (NSM CDS), HAWK and BOC programs.
The FDC shelter subsystems are being fabricated by Zenith Custom Creations in their Mt Barker facility, in the Adelaide Hills, and are to be delivered as part of an overarching subcontract from Daronmont Technologies to Kongsberg Defence Australia.
Kongsberg Defence Australia general manager, John Fry, said Kongsberg Defence Australia remains committed to developing an Australian industry capability.
“We’re proud to partner with Australian businesses such as Zenith Custom Creations, and develop a sovereign industry capability in the manufacture and support of NASAMS. Zenith Custom Creations have an excellent track record and have demonstrated their ability to manufacture to demanding specifications, which will be suitable for not only the Australian Defence Force, but for KONGSBERG’s global supply chain,” Fry said.
