Indonesia strikes $77M deal for air-defense system by Norway’s Kongsberg

MELBOURNE, Australia — Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Kongsberg for the supply of the NASAMS ground-based air-defense system.

The Norwegian company announced Oct. 31 that Indonesia will receive “a complete NASAMS system with command posts, radars, launchers, radios and integration, and training and logistics support” under the contract, which it says is worth $77 million.

A typical NASAMS consists of two to four launchers with associated radars, with each launcher carrying six Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAM. The system’s modularity means it does not need to be tied to a particular radar type, with the Thales-Raytheon AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel or EADS TRML-3D radar being used by various NASAMS operators.

The announcement did not specify a delivery date for the system, which is likely to be the upgraded NASAMS 2 that features the Link 16 data link and improved AN/MPQ-64F1 radars.

Indonesia will also need to purchase the AIM-120 missiles separately from the United States to equip the system under the Foreign Military Sales program. The country has previously been cleared by the U.S. State Department to purchase the AMRAAM to equip its Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter jets.

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NASAMS is an acronym for Norwegian (which Raytheon calls “National“ in U.S. service) Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, which Kongsberg says is used to defend “high value civilian and military assets on the ground against air threats.”

Indonesia’s procurement of the NASAMS will be done in stages, with more systems to be ordered in the future as it seeks to protect its capital Jakarta and other strategic cities and locations. The Indonesian armed forces currently operates short-range surface-to-air missiles and gun-based air-defense systems. The Southeast Asian country, which is made up of more than 18,000 islands, has been undertaking a modernization of its armed forces, and air defense is one of its key concerns.

The NASAMS has also been selected by neighboring Australia, which earlier issued a single-supplier limited request for render to Raytheon Australia to meet its Project Land 19 Phase 7B program to replace Australia’s Saab RBS 70 surface-to-air missiles.

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