Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed a contract with the Dutch government for the delivery of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and National Manoeuvre Air Defence Systems (NOMADS).
The contract, which was signed on 21 November 2024, is valued at about NOK 12 billion (EUR 1 billion), with deliveries to begin in 2028.
The order follows the Dutch government filing a recommendation to the country’s Parliament in October 2024, outlining its intention to acquire the new systems as part of the Dutch armed forces’ Citadel project: a comprehensive integrated air and missile defence programme.
“By selecting NASAMS and NOMADS the Netherlands will enhance its air defence capabilities with an integrated system that covers short- and medium-range threats,” Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “The Netherlands continues to be a strong and integral member of the larger NASAMS user community and we are pleased to welcome the country as the first international NOMADS.”
The Netherlands first acquired the NASAMS system in 2006. The system, which Kongsberg bills as “the world’s first operational network-centric short- to medium-range ground-based air defence system, uses a surface-launched version of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and was developed by Kongsberg in conjunction with US company Raytheon.
The latest NASAMS 3 systems add the capability to use short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and extended-range AMRAAM-ER missiles.
The NOMADS system, meanwhile, is a highly mobile air defence configuration with short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles tailored to protection of land forces in a dynamic and contested land warfare environment. NOMADS is fully integrated with NASAMS and gives highly mobile forces, typically battalions and brigades, the ability to counter a larger portion of the threat spectrum closer to or at the front line. It is currently fielded with the Norwegian Army.
