UMOE and Kongsberg cooperates on lifetime extension of Skjold-class coastal corvettes for Norwegian Navy.

According to a press release published on September 10, 2020, UMOE Mandal AS and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace companies have agreed to cooperate on the lifetime extension of the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Skjold-class coastal corvettes
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Norwegian Navy Skjold-class corvettes in the harbor of Umoe Mandal shipyard, Norway. (Picture source Wikimedia)

In collaboration with a significant number of suppliers from the Norwegian maritime industry, UMOE and KONGSBERG offer modern technology to increase military capabilities and more sustainable and cost-efficient operation of the vessel.

The lifetime extension of the coastal corvettes will take place at the shipyard in Mandal, Norway in close cooperation with KONGSBERG and other suppliers.

"This lifetime extension project confirms our close and long-term collaboration with the Norwegian Armed Forces and maintains the unique capabilities of the vessels. This project will also secure employment in a demanding time for the industry", says Tom Svennevig, CEO of UMOE Mandal.

UMOE Mandal has constructed and built the Skjold-class coastal corvettes for the Norwegian Armed Forces, and KONGSBERG has been a key supplier of the combat system, and the integration of sub-systems.

"We welcome the government’s proposal to speed up the Skjold-Class upgrade and consider this to be an important contribution to the Norwegian defence industry in these challenging times. We look forward to this collaboration that challenges us to find efficient solutions and develop technology that will have a positive impact on our nation’s defence capabilities. We also see this as an opportunity to maintain and secure employment in the Norwegian industry", says Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS.

Skjold-class corvettes are a class of six large, superfast, stealth missile corvettes in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy. The ship’s configuration uses an air cushion catamaran (ACC) design, which is an advanced variant of surface effect ship (SES) technology. The ACC is based on a catamaran hull with an air cushion between the hulls, which has been successfully proven with the Norwegian Oksoy Class minehunters and minesweepers, which entered service in 1994.

The Skjold-class corvette is armed with eight Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile SSMs, kept in an internal weapons bay, one 76mm Otobreda Super Rapid multi-role cannon, two 12.7mm Browning M2HB HMGs, Mistral SAMs Surface-to-Air Missile, and Protector Remote Weapon Station Sea Protector.

The Skjold-class corvette is powered with four gas turbines from Pratt & Whitney, two ST18M rated at two×4,000kW and two ST 40M rated at two×2,000kW, driving the two Kamewa water jets. There are also two MTU 6R TE92 maneuvering engines, rated at 3,700kW. KNM Skjold has been refitted with this propulsion system. It can sail at a maximum speed of 45 knots (83 km/h) in sea state 3 and 25 knots (46 km/h) in sea state 5 with a maximum range of 800 nmi. (1,500 km) at 40 knots (74 km/h).