Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has been assigned by Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency to upgrade the combat system on the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Skjold Class, to contribute to the life extension. The contract amount is 267 MNoK. The Skjold Class is a vital asset for the Navy and in addition to a ship technical modernization, the combat system will be upgraded with a similar system that is in operation on the Nansen Class today. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is proud to deliver the combat system and to contribute to life extension of the Skjold Class.
When the Skjold class corvettes are to be upgraded with life extension technology, it is crucial to change the combat system on board to ensure combat capability during their lifetime. The upgrade mainly consists of a new combat management system, which is coordinated with the Nansen class frigates. We will also do a updating of tactical data links and other functions in the combat system,” says division director Kjetil Reiten Myhra in Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
“Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace are proud that we once more is given the trust to continue the work with the life extension of the Skjold Class. We are looking forward to integrate the best solutions of technology to provide combat readiness for the Royal Norwegian Navy,” says president, Eirik Lie of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Skjold-class corvettes (skjold means “shield” in Norwegian) are a class of six light, superfast, stealth missile corvettes in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy. The boats were formerly classed as MTBs (motor torpedo boats) but, from 2009, the Royal Norwegian Navy has described them as corvettes (korvett) because their seaworthiness is seen as comparable to corvettes, and because they do not carry torpedoes. They were built at the Umoe Mandal yard. With a maximum speed of 60 knots (110 km/h), the Skjold-class corvettes were the fastest combat ships afloat at the time of their introduction.
The Skjold design is a surface effect craft, constructed of glass fibre/carbon composite materials. Buoyancy is augmented underway by a fan-blown skirted compartment between the two rigid catamaran-type hulls.Most notably, the vessels use 4 gas turbines combined by Renk COGAG gear units built in a lightweight design. The smaller gas turbines rated 2,000 kW turbines are used for cruising speed. For sprint speed a second, larger gas turbine is combined providing a total of 6,000 kW to the waterjet on each shaft line. Two MTU 123 cruise diesel propulsion units used previously at loiter speeds were removed. The foredeck was strengthened to accommodate the addition of a 76 mm Otobreda Super Rapid gun. They are complemented by Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile SSMs (kept in an internal weapons bay), 12.7mm Browning M2HB HMGs, Mistral SAMs and SeaProtector remotely controlled weapons station.
