Norway’s Kongsberg to open new Virginia missile production plant

Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace is opening up a new missile production facility in Virginia as global demand continues to rise amid major conflicts playing out in Ukraine and the Middle East, the company said Tuesday.

Kongsberg announced earlier this year that it plans to expand production for missiles in Norway and open a new missile factory in Australia.

The James City County, Virginia, location will “provide additional production capacity, sustainment and in-country tech refresh capabilities for Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM),” the company release states.

NSM is an anti-ship missile and JSM is an air-launched missile used on the U.S. Air Force’s F-35A fighter jet for complex missions like anti-surface warfare and land attack.

Kongsberg already has a U.S. production facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

“The new missile production facilities in the US, Australia and Norway address the strong and long-term demand for our unique technology and the critical need to strengthen collective defence capabilities,” Geir Håøy, Kongsberg’s CEO, said. “Kongsberg has a proud history in the U.S. and we are delighted to continue to invest in the country to support American interests while creating jobs locally,” he added.

The company noted the decision to open the new U.S. facility “was heavily influenced by the possibility that the Department of Defense could award a multiyear procurement contract to Kongsberg.”

The Pentagon has pursued a number of new multiyear procurement contracts not usually awarded to missile programs . Earlier this year, the Army awarded a multiyear contract to Lockheed Martin for the Patriot Advanced Capability Increment 3 Missile Segment Enhancement missile and plans to soon award a similar contract for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missile.

“The US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are important customers for Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile,” Eirik Lie, Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace president, said. “Their demand signals gave us the predictability we needed to make this investment in the United States.”

The new missile factory, focused on assembly, upgrades and repairs for NSM and JSM, will include hiring more than 180 people. The company will invest more than $100 million into Virginia in the next few years “in terms of property, plant and equipment,” Heather Armentrout, president of Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Inc., the company’s U.S. subsidiary, said.

Kongsberg isn’t the only Nordic country expanding missile production in the U.S. Saab announced earlier this year that it would be growing its footprint stateside with a new facility that will manufacture ground combat weapons and missile systems.

The new site is part of a global manufacturing push from the Swedish company to quadruple its global capacity to produce its ground combat weapons. The new facility will support production of programs like the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb.

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

挪威康斯伯格防务与航空航天公司周二表示，由于乌克兰和中东地区持续爆发重大冲突，全球对导弹的需求不断增长，该公司将在弗吉尼亚州开设一家新的导弹生产厂。

康斯伯格公司今年早些时候宣布，计划扩大在挪威的导弹生产规模，并在澳大利亚开设一家新的导弹工厂。

该公司发布的新闻稿称，位于弗吉尼亚州詹姆斯城县的工厂将“为康斯伯格海军打击导弹（NSM）和联合打击导弹（JSM）提供额外的生产能力、维护和国内技术更新能力”。

NSM 是一种反舰导弹，而 JSM 是一种空射导弹，美国空军的 F-35A 战斗机使用它们执行反水面作战和对地攻击等复杂任务。

Kongsberg公司在美国宾夕法尼亚州约翰斯敦已经拥有一家生产工厂。

康士伯首席执行官盖尔·哈伊表示：“美国、澳大利亚和挪威新建的导弹生产设施满足了市场对我们独特技术的强劲且长期的需求，以及加强集体防御能力的迫切需要。” 他补充道：“康士伯在美国有着辉煌的历史，我们很高兴能够继续投资美国，支持美国利益，同时在当地创造就业机会。”

该公司指出，开设美国新工厂的决定“很大程度上受到了国防部可能授予康斯伯格公司一份多年采购合同的影响”。

五角大楼已寻求签订多项新的多年期采购合同，这些合同通常不会授予导弹项目。今年早些时候，陆军授予洛克希德·马丁公司一份多年期合同，用于采购“爱国者”先进能力增量3导弹段增强型导弹，并计划很快授予一份类似的合同，用于采购制导多管火箭系统（GMLRS）导弹。

康斯伯格防务与航空航天公司总裁埃里克·利表示：“美国海军、海军陆战队和空军是康斯伯格海军打击导弹和联合打击导弹的重要客户。他们的需求信号为我们提供了在美国进行这项投资所需的可预测性。”

这家新的导弹工厂将专注于NSM和JSM导弹的组装、升级和维修，预计将雇用180多名员工。康斯伯格防务与航空航天公司（Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Inc.）总裁希瑟·阿门特劳特（Heather Armentrout）表示，该公司将在未来几年内向弗吉尼亚州投资超过1亿美元，“用于购置房产、厂房和设备”。康斯伯格防务与航空航天公司是康斯伯格集团的美国子公司。

康斯伯格并不是唯一一家在美国扩大导弹生产的北欧国家。萨博公司今年早些时候宣布，将在美国新建一家工厂，生产地面作战武器和导弹系统，以扩大其在美国的业务规模。

这座新厂址是这家瑞典公司全球制造扩张计划的一部分，旨在将其全球地面作战武器产能提高四倍。新厂址将支持诸如陆基小直径炸弹等项目的生产。

珍·贾德森是一位屡获殊荣的记者，为《防务新闻》报道陆地战争。她也曾为《政治报》和《内幕防务》工作。她拥有波士顿大学新闻学硕士学位和凯尼恩学院文学学士学位。