Norway is the world leader in missile production and produces one of the most advanced missiles in the world. Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) reports that the government will now begin the development of the next generation missile. The development of this missile will be done in cooperation with Germany.
We need to begin the work today to develop the weapons that will protect us against tomorrow’s threats. The new missile will strengthen Norway’s defense capability and ability to fight targets at long distances and is scheduled to be ready in 2035, says Gram. Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (KDA) has developed today’s naval strike missile, the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), and will continue to take the lead role in the development of the new naval strike missile.
The development of Norwegian missiles is a story of success. The Norwegian defense industry, led by Kongsberg, has unique expertise and are already developing state of the art missiles. The project will contribute to further develop the strategically important technological competence, so that we in the future can continue to develop missiles that are attractive to other NATO members and close allies, states Gram.
Today’s NSM was developed in the early 2000s and delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces from 2011 to 2015. Today, the missiles are utilized in a number of navies around the world. The goal of the project is to ensure that Norway, in the future, will continue to have a world-leading industry for missile production, as we have today. This industry creates hundreds of Norwegian jobs and gives us a strengthened role internationally and in NATO cooperation. The development of the new missile is a collaborative project between Norway and Germany. Among other things, the missile is planned to be used on Norwegian and German naval vessels.
Germany is our most important European partner for cooperation on defence equipment and a majorly important ally in NATO, says Gram. The government is now proposing that a decision will be made to initiate the first initial design phase of the project. Germany plans to consider a decision on commissioning in 2024. The government will return to the Norwegian Parliament with a recommendation for the continuation of the project once the design phase has been completed.
There is high uncertainty in such large and complex development projects in high-tech industry. For the government, it is important to minimize the financial risk in such a project. That is why we are planning a process with different phases where each phase has its own cost framework and where the goal is control over the costs in each phase, says Gram.
The missile has until now been referred to as the Future Naval Strike Missile (FNSM). In further development, it will go under the name Super Sonic Strike Missile (3SM) Tyrfing.