KDA opens new missile production plant

Series production of both NSM and JSM will be undertaken at the new Nexus plant. (Kongsberg)

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) has officially opened a new missile production facility at the Arsenalet industrial park just outside the town of Kongsberg in southern Norway.

Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 20 June, KDA president Eirik Lie said the Nexus plant would significantly increase production capacity for both the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and the air-launched Joint Strike Missile (JSM).

The new 17,200 sq m facility – claimed by the company to be the most advanced missile manufacturing plant of its kind – represents an overall investment of NOK2 billion (USD189.203 million), including a NOK300 million contribution coming from the Norwegian government and the European Union's (EU's) Act in Support of Ammunition Production fund.

According to KDA, a business area within Kongsberg Gruppen, the construction of the Nexus facility reflects growing demand for both NSM and JSM. NSM – both ship-launched and coastal battery – has secured orders from 13 countries, while JSM has been selected by Norway, Japan, and the US Air Force (USAF) to equip F-35A Lightning II strike fighters.

Although KDA has already expanded its legacy missile production facilities on two occasions, an increasing order backlog and forecast growth in demand saw the company in 2021 evaluate the case for a brand new plant at the Arsenalet industrial park (located approximately 1.5 km from Kongsberg's headquarters and KDA's existing missile manufacturing facility). The Kongsberg board gave its approval to the investment plan in January 2022.

KDA told Janes