Private company

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace

Logo: Kongsberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Norwegian defense company

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and a supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications.2 It employed 4,345 people in 2026.1 Its products include NORTaC-C2IS, Joint Strike Missile, NASAMS and Naval Strike Missile.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

May 28, 1997Founded1

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and a supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications. Today, the company is probably best known abroad for its development/industrialisation and production of the first passive IR homing anti-ship missile of the western world, the Penguin, starting delivery in the early 1970s (when Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was part of KONGSBERG's predecessor Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk). As of 2021, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace had 3,500 employees.2

Corporate structure

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is part of a group headed by Kongsberg Gruppen. 21 entities, 5 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

Products and brands

  • Joint Strike Missile
  • NASAMS
  • NORTaC-C2IS
  • Naval Strike Missile
  • Penguin
  • Protector RWS

Listed on Wikidata.1

Products

Air defence systems

NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, generations 1, 2 and 3) – a network centric short to medium range air-defence system made of several elements, in collaboration with Raytheon:

FDC (Fire Distribution Center) – a command module for missile launch that can be used for surface-to-surface missile systems and for surface-to-air systems (NASAMS and NSM CDL). Slated to be used in the pan-European Freyja anti-ballistic missile system in 2027.

A radar AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel provided by Raytheon. The GhostEye radar will be the future radar of the NASAMS.

Missile launchers (for AIM-9X2 and AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-120 AMRAAM-ER).

Read the full text

Base launcher on a platform.

SLAMRAAM – a potential launcher for the NASAMS system.

NOMADS (NatiOnal Maneuver Air Defence System)

Missile systems

JSM (Joint Strike Missile) - an air-launched cruise missile, designed for fitting the F-35 bomb bay.

NSM (Naval Strike Missile) - an anti-ship / land attack missile.

NSM CDS (Coastal Defence System) - a coastal anti-ship system. It is composed of:

NSM missile.

FDC (Fire Distribution Center) - a command module for missile launch.

Missile launcher on trucks.

Penguin – a passive heat seeking anti-ship missile

Weapon stations

Protector

Protector RS4 – a remote weapon station for small and medium calibre weapons, with a potential for an ATGM.

Protector RS4 Low Profile – a remote weapon station for small calibre weapons.

Protector RS6 – a remote weapon station with a low-recoil 30mm calibre, a coaxial machine gun and a potential ATGM, designed for light armoured vehicles (such as JLTV, Mowag Eagle, Humvee)

Protector RT20 – a lightweight remote turret that can be armed with the Bushmaster II (30 mm) or the Bushmaster IV (40 mm) chain guns.

Protector RT40 (formerly known as MCT) – a remote turret that can be armed with the Bushmaster II (30 mm) or the Bushmaster IV (40 mm) chain guns.

Protector RT60 – an IFV optimised turret that can be armed with the Bushmaster II (30 mm) or the Bushmaster IV (40 mm) chain guns, a small calibre RCWS and 2 ATGM.

Combat systems

C4ISR

NATO AGS (Alliance Ground Surveillance) – a system for storing, managing and disseminating joint ISR.

NOR DSAR (Norwegian Data Storage and Retrieval Services) – a system for dissemination, storage, archival and retrieval for Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance data and information.

Odin Fire Support System – an artillery fire command and targeting system.

Kongsberg ICS (Integrated Combat Solution) – a hardware / software digital networking system for land combat vehicle, improving the situational awareness, and providing C3I solutions.

FDC (Fire Distribution Center) – a flexible command module for missile launch that can be used for surface-to-surface missile systems and for surface-to-air systems:

FDC Coastal Defence – system controlling the sensors and the weapons of the coastal NSM system.

NASAMS FDC – a FDC system adapted to the NASAMS air defence system.

BFDC (HAWK) – a FDC system adapted to the HAWK air defence system, controlling up to 2 firing sections, and capable of networking with other FDC in the battery.

FDC-S – system optimised for the control and coordination of SHORAD and V/SHORAD weapon systems.

GBADOC (Ground Based Air Defence Operation Center) – a GBAD C2 unit.

BOC (Battalion Operation Center) – used for the command of air-defence battalions (or other weapon systems).

FDC Precision Fires – system used by the army command to coordinate the air-space use for precision fire.

NORTaC-C2IS – Norwegian C2 system for tactical army operations.

Software for the E3A AWACS used by NATO in Europe.

Naval systems

CMS (Combat Management System) – a system that can be used for submarines, OPV, frigates, coast guards.

CNS (Combat Navigation System) – a system that can be used for submarines, OPV, frigates, coast guards.

Submarine systems

MSI-90U / MSI-90U Mk2 – command and arms control for submarines.

CMS.

CNS.

SPS (Sonar Processing System) – sonar system for situational awareness (bottom mapping, mine-avoidance sonar).

Link.

Training systems.

MSI 2005F – anti-submarine warfare systems for the Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate.

Senit 2000 – command system for the Skjold-class corvette, the Hauk-class patrol boat.

MMCM (Maritime Mine Counter Measures):

Minesniper Mk III – a lightweight and low cost remote controlled robot for mine verification and neutralisation (one shot).

MICOS C2 - command system for mine countermeasure vessels.

Vanguard – a naval MUM-T system (manned-unmanned teaming).

Training systems

K-Sim – a ship operation simulator

PROTEUS simulators – a vast list of training systems for all types of command, combat, weapon and sensor systems on military vessels (ships, submarines and even helicopters).

Interact (Integrated Naval Training Environment for Resource management And Crew Teamwork) – a system that connects all the Proteus and K-Sim aiming to create a complex simulating and training environment and prepare many scenarios.

KAMP (Kongsberg Mission Planning) – tactical planning system for naval operations of the NH90.

Communications

Communication systems, software, and encryption.

InterCom DDS – a middleware application for secure communications.

Multi Rolle Radio (MRR) – field radios

Sensors

PHAROX – a modular multi sensor system used to detect, track and identify objects.

MEOS antennas – low earth orbit tracking antennas.

Aviation & security

Kongsberg Digital towers.

Aerospace

Geospatial Technology for Defense Systems:

TerraLens – a geospatial software used with numerous aircraft, naval systems, missile systems, ground systems, unmanned systems.

Products in development

Air defence systems

NOMADS (National Manoeuvre Air Defence System) – a mechanised air defence system based on the ACSV G5. It uses some of the weapons and technologies of the NASAMS. It has been tested with the IRIS-T SLS missiles, but will likely be used with the AIM-9X missiles.

Missiles

3SM Tyrfing (Super Sonic Strike Missile) – a super sonic cruise missile for land-attack and anti-ship roles, primarily designed ships. The project is led by Kongsberg, with Diehl, MBDA Deutschland and Nammo as subcontractors.

Variants of the NSM (Naval Strike Missile)

NSM-AL (Aircraft launched) – a variant wanted by the Spanish Navy for its fleet of NH90 HHSPN.

NSM-SL (submarine launched) – a variant wanted by the Spanish Navy for its S-80 Plus submarines and that might be selected by Germany and Norway on the Type 212CD.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Subsidiaries

Also owns

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Oct 25, 2022Acquired Kongsberg NanoAvionics1
  2. 2016Acquired Patria1
  3. Succeeded Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk1

Employees over time

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace employees by year14.3K in 2026+55% since 2019
02.0K4.0K6.0K2019: 2.8K2.8K20192023: 4.3K4.3K2023+52%2026: 4.3K4.3K2026+2%
  • 20264,3451
  • 20234,2701
  • 20192,8091

Timeline

  1. May 28, 1997Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
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  4. 4