Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace announced on March 11 that it signed a contract worth Aus$ 67m with Hanwha Defense Australia following a recent announcement by the Australian government to procure AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers and ammunition resupply vehicles. The contract was signed in December 2021 and was reported on Kongsberg's Q4 release in February.
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AS9 Huntsman 155mm self-propelled howitzer (Picture source: Hanwha Defense)
Over the years, Hanwha Defense and Kongsberg have built a close collaboration on vehicle digitization and integration of Command, Control, Communication and Information Systems (K3I) in Hanwha's artillery vehicles. Kongsberg markets this solution under the product name ‘Cortex’, which is a future-oriented digital solution for combat platforms and K3I in general. This solution, which will be delivered to Australia, has been developed in close collaboration with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency and the Norwegian artillery community and is in operational use in Norway today. Variants of the Cortex-solution are also used on other Norwegian platforms and form the base of cooperation between Kongsberg and Norwegian and international industry.
Through this program, Kongsberg will deliver both Cotex ICS (Integrated Combat Solution) and Odin Fire Control System to the Australian Army. The program involves a significant, further development of the Norwegian VIDAR solution for K9 artillery, and it will generate both work in Norway and training at Kongsberg Defence Australia.
"It is great to see a product like Cortex being chosen by other nations. The product is a result of good cooperation and development between the Norwegian defense sector and Kongsberg, and it's an example of the successful development of user-customized technology with important functionality and high reliability. A solution used by multiple actors provides a cost-effective solution for further development of the technology," says Brigadier Øyvind Kvalvik, Chief of Land Systems Division, Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.
"Kongsberg has made a significant investment in digitization solutions for future combat platforms. This contract shows the importance of close cooperation with the Norwegian user communities, and at the same time demonstrates that the solution we develop in Norway is world-leading. Agreements like this are important for Norwegian industry and it also provides great added value for the Norwegian Armed Forces and supports our investments in Australia," says Kjetil R. Myhra, Executive Vice President, Kongsberg.
