Norway to develop new NASAMS radar with Raytheon and Kongsberg

MILAN — The Norwegian Ministry of Defense will co-develop a new radar in partnership with Raytheon and Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace to boost the capabilities of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) against high-value targets.

The next-generation sensor will be based on the existing Raytheon GhostEye family of radars, with one of the key upgrades focused on increased range, according to company representatives.

“We can’t provide performance specifics, but the radar’s capabilities will far exceed NASAMS’ current sensor configuration – this is largely driven by the active electronically scanned array and gallium nitride (GaN) technology featured in the GhostEye family of radars,” Mike Mills, executive director of GhostEye programs at Raytheon told Defense News.

The GhostEye is a medium-range air and missile defense radar that was first showcased by the company in 2021, designed to detect and identify a wide-range of threats including cruise missiles, drones and rotary-wing aircraft.

While the radar’s range information is not available on the manufacturer’s website, observers have estimated that it may be able to observe targets as far as 120 kilometers away.

This will be the first project developed under the NASAMS Capabilities Collaborative Agreement, which was signed in 2023 by the Norwegian MoD, Kongsberg and Raytheon.

The production of the radars’ components will be carried out in both Norway and the United States, Mills said, declining to say when deliveries would begin, as discussions about that aspect of the systems’ development are still ongoing.

In June, Norway signed a $440 million contract with Kongsberg to acquire new NASAMS air defense systems with expected deliveries from 2027 to replace equipment previously donated to Ukraine.

The Nordic nation initially sent two batteries of the air defense systems to Kyiv in March of 2023, followed by additional shipments in December, and plans to order more for the war-torn country.

“Norway has decided to build their future Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) with the NASAMS architecture as the backbone,” Hans Christian Hagen, vice president for business development of air and coastal defense at Kongsberg said in an email statement to Defense News.

“The development of the next-gen radar is a natural step for Norway as the lead nation and will address requirements to meet the mobility aspects for a flexible and agile system,” the company executive added.

NASAMS are in operation in 13 countries, as they are able to use a wide variety of air-to-air missiles, including the AMRAAM, which a considerable number of NATO countries already possess.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——挪威国防部将与雷神公司和康斯伯格防务与航空航天公司合作，共同开发一种新型雷达，以增强国家先进地对空导弹系统（NASAMS）打击高价值目标的能力。

据公司代表称，下一代传感器将基于现有的雷神GhostEye系列雷达，其中一项关键升级是提高探测距离。

“我们无法提供具体的性能参数，但该雷达的性能将远远超过 NASAMS 目前的传感器配置——这主要得益于 GhostEye 系列雷达中采用的主动电子扫描阵列和氮化镓 (GaN) 技术，”雷神公司 GhostEye 项目执行主任 Mike Mills 告诉《防务新闻》。

GhostEye 是一款中程防空反导雷达，由该公司于 2021 年首次展示，旨在探测和识别包括巡航导弹、无人机和旋翼飞机在内的各种威胁。

虽然制造商网站上没有提供雷达的探测距离信息，但观察人士估计，它可能能够探测到远至 120 公里外的目标。

这将是根据 NASAMS 能力合作协议开发的第一个项目，该协议于 2023 年由挪威国防部、康斯伯格公司和雷神公司签署。

米尔斯表示，雷达组件的生产将在挪威和美国进行，但他拒绝透露何时开始交付，因为有关系统开发这一方面的讨论仍在进行中。

6 月，挪威与康斯伯格公司签署了一份价值 4.4 亿美元的合同，采购新的 NASAMS 防空系统，预计将于 2027 年开始交付，以取代之前捐赠给乌克兰的设备。

这个北欧国家最初于 2023 年 3 月向基辅运送了两套防空系统，随后在 12 月又运送了更多，并计划为这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家订购更多。

“挪威已决定以 NASAMS 架构为骨干，构建其未来的综合防空反导系统 (IAMD)。”康斯伯格公司负责空中和海岸防御业务发展的副总裁汉斯·克里斯蒂安·哈根在给《防务新闻》的电子邮件声明中表示。

“作为领先国家，挪威开发下一代雷达是顺理成章的一步，这将满足灵活敏捷系统的机动性要求，”该公司高管补充道。

NASAMS在13个国家投入使用，因为它们能够使用各种空对空导弹，包括AMRAAM，而相当多的北约国家已经拥有这种导弹。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。