Kongsberg Defence Australia has announced that a significant milestone for the LAND 19 Phase 7B project has been reached, receiving approval to commence local production activities for the first time. Under this program, Kongsberg Defence Australia is supporting prime contractor, Raytheon Australia, to deliver a new Short-Range Ground-Based Air Defence capability for the Australian Army.
Kongsberg Defence Australia’s milestone enables the team to commence production activities for the first Fire Distribution Centre (FDC) for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) capability. NASAMS is a state-of-the-art weapons system that is in service with, or under delivery to, 11 nations. The system will enable the Army to quickly detect, engage, and destroy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missile threats.
The commencement of Kongsberg Defence Australia’s local FDC production activities in Adelaide follows the successful completion of its Production Readiness Review. The FDC is the Command, Control, Communications and Computing (C4) subsystem at the heart of the NASAMS capability. The shelter-based FDC comprises of approximately 10,000 components that have largely been sourced through Australian suppliers, including Adelaide-based REDARC Electronics, Albury-based MILSPEC Manufacturing, and Sydney-based Eylex. The FDC shelters have been designed and manufactured by Adelaide-based Daronmont Technologies using their local supply chain.
REDARC have commenced the delivery of the electrical mechanical boxes, an integral part of the power distribution and safety interlock systems following successful completion of production quality gates in late 2020. MILSPEC have delivered over 600 manufactured parts for the Air Defence Console, racks and other mechanical fixtures. Fitment checks recently conducted with MILSPEC have demonstrated quality workmanship in the production of complex assemblies. Eylex continue to deliver the thousands of cables required that integrate the complex network of sub-systems following their First Article Inspections last October.
Despite the supply chain challenges in sourcing components due to COVID, all Australian suppliers have worked collaboratively to resolve these challenges, affirming Australian industry’s commitment to delivering NASAMS. Kongsberg Defence Australia’s proud partnership with their Australian suppliers enables these companies to benefit from the program by growing their local business and increasing their Australian workforce, becoming more competitive while enhancing their capabilities. It also provides export opportunities for the supply of components and assemblies for international programs through exposure and qualification into KONGSBERG’s Global Supply Chain.
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