The Norwegian Kongsberg will integrate Ukrainian-made interceptor missiles into NASAMS systems.

Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, told Euractiv.

“We are now establishing a company in Ukraine. We are in close discussion with industry in Ukraine to establish a joint venture. The first priority is to increase missile production for our air defence system in Ukraine, based on Ukrainian technology.,” said the company president.

Lie noted that we are talking about mass production of missiles, meaning hundreds. According to him, it is planned to establish joint ventures within a few months.

Most likely, the unknown Ukrainian missiles will be adapted to the NASAMS systems common in the country, although the latest NOMADS air defence systems, the purchase of which was recently considered by the German government for Ukraine, cannot be completely ruled out.

Ukraine’s defense industry has a number of anti-aircraft interceptor designs in its arsenal, ranging from the Coral to the R-27 or the promising UP-277. However, the Coral is longer than the NASAMS launch container, and to integrate different versions of the R-27, the rudders will have to be shortened.

The emergence of a completely new, previously unknown anti-aircraft missile cannot be ruled out, and work on it could have been initiated after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. It could be a radar-guided interceptor or a short-range system with an infrared homing head.

“At Kongsberg, we want to utilize the strength of Ukraine’s industry. In the long term, when the war is over, Ukraine can be part of the supply chain providing missiles for air defence systems.,” he added.

Lie noted that there were many innovations having taken place in Ukraine that his company wanted to be a part of: “It is important for us to be there.”

Contacts at the level of the Ukrainian government and Kongsberg’s top management went public in January of this year, when Defence Minister Rustem Umerov announced the possibility of integrating domestic air defense assets into the NASAMS system.

“The parties analyzed the possibilities of integrating domestic air defense assets into the NASAMS system, which will increase its effectiveness,” the Ukrainian defence ministry said in a statement.

In addition, according to Rustem Umerov, the meeting discussed counter drone systems and the possibility of localizing their production in Ukraine, as well as the development of the maritime capabilities of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.