La creciente demanda global de sistemas de armas, para hacer frente a conflictos de magnitud como los de Ucrania y Medio Oriente, as\u00ed como otros futuros, motivaron que la empresa Noruega Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace anunci\u00f3 la inauguraci\u00f3n de una planta de producci\u00f3n de Misiles en el estado de Virginia (EEUU). Esta nueva instalaci\u00f3n incrementar\u00e1 las capacidades de producci\u00f3n ya existentes en Noruega y Australia, principalmente de dos renombrados productos de la empresa como los misiles Naval Strike Missile (NSM) y Joint Strike Missile (JSM). El NSM es un misil antibuque y el JSM es un misil de lanzamiento a\u00e9reo A-S destinado a ser empleado en modernas plataformas como el F-35, en misiones de ataque a objetivos en superficie.<\/p>\n
Norway\u2019s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace is opening up a new\u00a0missile production<\/a>\u00a0facility in Virginia as\u00a0global demand continues to rise amid major conflicts\u00a0<\/a>playing out in Ukraine and the Middle East, the company said Tuesday.<\/p>\n Kongsberg announced earlier this year that it plans to expand production for missiles in Norway and open a new missile factory in Australia.<\/p>\n The James City County, Virginia, location will \u201cprovide additional production capacity, sustainment and in-country tech refresh capabilities for Kongsberg\u2019s Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM),\u201d the company release states.<\/p>\n NSM is an anti-ship missile and JSM is an air-launched missile used on the U.S. Air Force\u2019s F-35A fighter jet for complex missions like anti-surface warfare and land attack.<\/p>\n Kongsberg already has a U.S. production facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new missile production facilities in the US, Australia and Norway address the strong and long-term demand for our unique technology and the critical need to strengthen collective defence capabilities,\u201d Geir H\u00e5\u00f8y, Kongsberg\u2019s CEO, said. \u201cKongsberg has a proud history in the U.S. and we are delighted to continue to invest in the country to support American interests while creating jobs locally,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The company noted the decision to open the new U.S. facility \u201cwas heavily influenced by the possibility that the Department of Defense could award a multiyear procurement contract to Kongsberg.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pentagon has pursued a number of\u00a0new multiyear procurement contracts not usually awarded to missile programs<\/a>. Earlier this year, the Army awarded a\u00a0multiyear contract to Lockheed Martin<\/a>\u00a0for the Patriot Advanced Capability Increment 3 Missile Segment Enhancement missile and plans to soon award a similar contract for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missile.<\/p>\n \u201cThe US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are important customers for Kongsberg\u2019s Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile,\u201d Eirik Lie, Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace president, said. \u201cTheir demand signals gave us the predictability we needed to make this investment in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n The new missile factory, focused on assembly, upgrades and repairs for NSM and JSM, will include hiring more than 180 people. The company will invest more than $100 million into Virginia in the next few years \u201cin terms of property, plant and equipment,\u201d Heather Armentrout, president of Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Inc., the company\u2019s U.S. subsidiary, said.<\/p>\n Kongsberg isn\u2019t the only Nordic country expanding missile production in the\u00a0U.S. Saab announced earlier this year that it would be growing its footprint stateside\u00a0<\/a>with a new facility that will manufacture ground combat weapons and missile systems.<\/p>\n The new site is part of a global manufacturing push from the Swedish company to quadruple its global capacity to produce its ground combat weapons. The new facility will support production of programs like the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb.<\/p>\n