February 20, 2023

Kongsberg builds missile facility in Australia and strengthens ties with local partners

By Defence Industry Europe

Kongsberg Defence Australia has signed a contract with Tandem Building Group to construct their new purpose-built facility, located in Mawson Lakes South Australia.

“After the completion of an Early Contractor Involvement phase, we are delighted to engage Adelaide-based Tandem Building Group, a defence sector delivery leader in South Australia. The construction of our 2500 sqm dedicated facility marks an important milestone for Konsin Australia. This is an exciting period of growth for us and this AUD $15m investment demonstrates our commitment to supporting local production and sustainment activities on current and planned defence programs,” said John Fry, General Manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia.

Kongsberg Defence Australia supports Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace with the local manufacture, assembly, integration and test of the C4 system for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) capability, which is currently under production for the Australian Army through Raytheon Australia.

Kongsberg Defence Australia is also under contract with Hanwha Defence Australia as its C4 software integration partner under Project LAND 8116 Phase 1. Under this contract, Kongsberg Defence Australia will integrate the Protected Mobile Fires capability into the Army’s C4 Force Structure. This involves the provision of the CORTEX Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) architecture and Fire Control System, and integration of tactical communication systems and Battle Management Systems.

Most recently, in April 2022, the Commonwealth of Australia announced the accelerated acquisition of the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile to replace Harpoon 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

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

This project will employ between 70 and 130 during construction, utilise 30 South Australian suppliers and create 70 full time roles.

Site mobilisation has commenced, with plans for the facility to be fully occupied and operational by early 2024.