The war in Ukraine provoked demand: the Norwegian company Kongsberg opens the missile plant

NATO allies seek to increase their own production of weapons, ammunition and missiles, partly for the supply of Ukraine, but also to replenish inventory and the ability to resist new threats. The decision on the construction of a plant located among the pine hills near Congsberg, about 90 km southwest of Oslo, was adopted in 2021, to a full -scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, when the company was observed in increased demand for its rockets.

Part of this demand came from the US Navy, which have chosen the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti -ship for their fleet with Kongsberg with a range of 250 km. "Then Ukraine began, and it is not surprising for us that demand has increased," said Eyrik Lee, head of the Defense and Aerospace Industry, after the opening of a plant with 1,200 people.

The object that is more like a giant technical laboratory than the military arsenal cost 640 million crowns ($ 61 million), with the Norway government invested 200 million crowns and the European Union - 10 million. It is known that the plant is robotic, and on it, among others, will build a rocket anti -ship NSM and its relative Joint Strike Missile (JSM), winged rocket for Lockheed Martin (LMT. N).

The plant will produce several hundred rockets a year, but Eirik Lee has refused to name a specific figure. He also did not say how much production increased, but said that growth was "exponential". One Norway will not be limited to the company. It is also planned to open factories in the US and Australia.

The company refuses to inform the NSM missiles transferred to Ukraine by some NATO allies, but in 2023 Reuters reported that the US was working on the transfer of some of its NSM Ukraine to help overcome Russia's naval blockade in the Black Sea. NSM is currently using 14 countries, 11 of which are NATO or EU.