The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell) has awarded a contract for the supply of patrol tents for the Norwegian armed forces, the agency announced on 1 September 2023.
The contract was awarded to the Norwegian company Oskar Pedersen AS in Kristiansand, Norway. The Norwegian tent specialist Barents Outdoor AS will be responsible for the production of the tents, which will take place in Bangladesh, with Barents Outdoor AS being responsible for quality control, maintenance and through-life support.
The type of tent in question is known in the Norwegian armed forces as a ‘patrol tent’, since it has traditionally been used by special forces and long-range reconnaissance patrols. The tents now on contract, however, are intended for more widespread use, including by command post and medical personnel in the field.
Patrol tents have been in use by the Norwegian armed forces for years, but until now they have been supplied by a variety of contractors and in a number of different models. The new contract is intended to ensure standardisation of one type of tent for the armed forces.
The contracted tents have been selected after extensive user tests over the past year, including severe weather tests throughout Norway. The tents are a new development and will be available in both 2-3 person and 4-6 person sizes. In addition to the advantage of having been developed specifically for military field use in the Nordic climate, the tents are also designed with sustainability in mind, including robustness and ease of maintenance and repair, thereby giving the tents an extended service life.
The quantity of tents on contract has not been reported, but the contract is valued at NOK 290 M (just over EUR 25 M).
Deliveries are scheduled to start in the spring of 2024.
Thomas Lauge Nielson
