Army gets new and reused battle antiaircraft system

Defence Minister Ine Eriksen SøreidePhoto: Terje Pedersen / NTB scanpix

The government will use 1 billion Nok on a mobile combat air defense system for the Army.
Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide describes it as a milestone that the Army now get such capacity – as the defense organisations has not seen such investments since the early 2000s.

The weapon system will include both acquisitions and reusing of existing materials from the Air Force’s air defense system.

– The first deliveries will already take place next year. We have worked for some time to evaluate the various aspects of the market and what we can get, and we have concluded that this solution is the best one, said the Defense minister to news agency NTB.

The delivery will take place from 2018 to 2021. How many units are to be considered she cannot say. Initially the system and specifications will undergo more detailed consideration. Moreover, one should also look at what is appropriate for reuse.

– The combined solution will simply be influenced by what the needs are, says Søreide.

Kongsberg Gruppen is a supplier of combat air defense systems. Søreide says it was important to find a supplier that could integrate systems with each other, in addition to supplying the new weapons system.

– It turned out that it was the Norwegian vendor who could do this and noone else , and that is why they were chosen, she says.

Søreide believes the acquisition represents a significant commitment to the Army, and that the acquisition will strengthen the defense capability.

– It is important because we are dependent on all the defence components working well together, she says.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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