KONGSBERG Australia has achieved a major export milestone with the first shipment of Australian-made Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence System command and control consoles departing for Europe.
The consoles have been produced under a contract between KONGSBERG and a NATO nation and were assembled, integrated and tested at the company’s facility in Mawson Lakes, South Australia.
Australian suppliers played a significant role in the project, with components and subsystems manufactured by REDARC Defence & Space and QPE Advanced Machining in South Australia, and Eylex in New South Wales.
The export marks a significant step for Australia’s sovereign defence manufacturing ambitions and demonstrates the growing capability of local suppliers to support advanced international defence programmes.
KONGSBERG Australia managing director John Fry said the delivery was an important achievement for both the company and the broader defence industry.
“This first export delivery is a proud moment for our Australian team and supply chain partners, and our Global Supply Chain Program, demonstrating that Australian industry can deliver complex, high-tech defence capability to international customers while supporting sovereign capability in Australia,” Fry said.
The command and control consoles are based on the same common hardware platform used to support the Australian Army’s NASAMS air defence capability.
According to KONGSBERG, the project highlights how Australian-developed manufacturing expertise can be applied to international defence contracts.
The Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence System is a land-based maritime strike capability that has attracted growing demand from defence forces around the world.
The system has been selected by Poland, the United States, Romania, Denmark and Latvia, while the Naval Strike Missile itself has been selected or entered service with the navies of Norway, Germany, the United States, Australia, Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The export demonstrates the increasing integration of Australian manufacturers into global defence supply chains and reinforces the role local industry can play in delivering sophisticated defence technologies to international customers.
With defence spending and capability development continuing to grow worldwide, the milestone is expected to create further opportunities for Australian companies involved in advanced manufacturing and defence exports.
