Norway’s arms procurement agency has awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace an approximately 400-million Norwegian krone ($42-million) contract to upgrade the combat system aboard the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Skjold-class fast attack vessels.
The contract aims to enhance the combat system and improve the technical availability of the Skjold vessels, which have been in service since 1999. This follows an initial combat system upgrade contract awarded in 2022, continuing the class’s broader modernization program.
The upgrade includes improved fire-control radars and new electro-optical sensors on four vessels, enhancing detection and tracking of small, fast-moving targets such as drones, while ensuring continued precision fire from the 76mm guns.
It will begin immediately, with installation of the first upgraded system planned for 2026.
“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,” Executive Vice President of Defence Systems at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Kjetil Reiten Myhra, said.
“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,” Head of Maritime Capabilities at the Norwegian Defence Material Agency, Stein Håvard Bergstad, added.
Skjold Vessel
The Skjold vessel is primarily tasked with patrolling Norway’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. In peacetime, its roles include surveillance, patrol, search and rescue, anti-smuggling operations, and monitoring commercial shipping and marine pollution.
In crisis or wartime, its missions expand to area control tasks such as ship boarding, intelligence, patrol, and covert operations, as well as anti-invasion, anti-surface warfare, and escort, convoy, and anti-shipping missions alongside joint and naval forces.
The 47-meter (159-foot) craft has a beam of 13.5 meters (44 feet) and a displacement of 260 tonnes.
It can reach speeds of up to 105 kilometers (65 miles) per hour, maintain 85 kilometers (53 miles) per hour in Sea State 4, and operate with a crew of 15. At a cruising speed of 74 kilometers (46 miles) per hour, it has a range of 1,480 kilometers (920 miles).
Armaments include eight Naval Strike Missile anti-ship missiles with a range exceeding 150 kilometers (93 miles), a portable Mistral short-range surface-to-air missile, and a 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid naval gun.