“Strengthening the ability to protect against aerial threats is a main priority in the government’s long-term plan for the defense sector. The war in Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East clearly show that drones represent a significant threat that we must also be able to protect ourselves against. It is therefore gratifying that we have quickly established a framework agreement for the procurement of systems that can protect us against this type of threat,” said Norwegian Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik.
The C-UAS will supplement existing air defence systems and include a command and control system, sensors, and both kinetic and non-kinetic effectors. “The framework agreement we have now established will ensure that the Armed Forces have the capacity to combat smaller unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The agreement ensures that we can easily procure more and rapidly expand our capacity. OSL has delivered similar systems to other customers and demonstrated the ability to deliver on time, within budget, and to the required performance,” said Gro Jære, Director of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.
The systems will be integrated with other command and control functions at the base and with civilian aviation. They will also feature software adaptations allowing them to replace Ørland’s existing bird radar, which is nearing the end of its service life.
“We are proud to have been chosen by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency for this important project. The procurement team carried out a thorough and efficient competition, and we expect this high pace to continue toward the first installation. It is a pleasure to work with such an engaged and knowledgeable customer team,” said Mark Legh-Smith, CEO and founder of OSL.
