The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) has awarded a contract valued at approximately NOK 410 million to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace for a major sensor upgrade of the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Skjold-class corvettes. Signed at Haakonsvern naval base, the agreement represents a key step in completing the fleet’s broader modernisation programme aimed at maintaining high-performance coastal combat capabilities. The upgrade builds on earlier enhancements to propulsion systems, communications architecture, and the combat management system linking sensors and weapons. The latest phase focuses on improving situational awareness, precision targeting, and operational safety in Norway’s challenging maritime environment, while also strengthening the vessels’ ability to support surveillance and search-and-rescue missions.
The programme includes modernisation of fire-control radars and delivery of new electro-optical (EO) sensor systems for four of the six corvettes, fully integrated into Kongsberg’s existing combat system. Sweden’s Saab AB will act as subcontractor for radar upgrades, while France-based Safran will provide the EO sensors. These upgrades are intended to sustain accurate fire control for the vessels’ 76 mm naval gun while significantly improving detection and tracking of maritime and aerial threats, including small and fast-moving drones. Implementation will begin immediately, with installation of the first EO sensor planned in 2026 and testing scheduled for early 2027. Follow-on installations across the fleet will continue through 2027 and 2028, allowing gradual capability enhancement while keeping vessels operational.
Kjetil Reiten Myhra, Executive Vice President at Kongsberg, said: “We are pleased to continue the work with the Norwegian Defence Material Agency on the Skjold class to support and strengthen the fleet’s operational ability and availability.”
“This contract is an important contribution to ensuring that the Skjold-class remains a relevant and combat-capable asset in the years ahead. The upgrade enhances precision, detection capability and endurance, and constitutes a key element in the overall modernisation of the vessels,” said Stein Håvard Bergstad, Head of Maritime Capabilities at the agency.
The Skjold-class corvette is a class of six lightweight, stealth missile corvettes designed for high-speed littoral operations. Built at the Umoe Mandal shipyard, the vessels can reach speeds of up to 60 knots, making them among the fastest combat ships ever fielded. Originally classified as motor torpedo boats, they were redesignated as corvettes in 2009 due to their enhanced seaworthiness and expanded operational roles. The ongoing upgrades are expected to keep the class operationally relevant well into the next decade as Norway continues to prioritise advanced coastal defence capabilities. 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 Royal Norwegian Navy has described them as corvettes (korvett) because their seaworthiness is seen as comparable to corvettes.
