Industry
Polish Armament Group Tightens Its Collaboration With Kongsberg. “NASAMS, Naval and Space Programmes”
Łazik marsjański zespołu #next z Politechniki Białostockiej, fot. Andrzej Hładij/Defence24.pl 
Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. [Polish Armament Group] and Norwegian Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS companies have signed a letter of intent, assuming that collaboration is going to be initiated and established within the scope of the Polish Narew air defence system programme. The companies also obliged themselves to work together in the fields of naval and space initiatives and reconnaissance and surveillance systems, with prospects of collaboration on the third markets. The document has been signed in Oslo, in presence of the Norwegian Monarch and President Andrzej Duda.
PGZ S.A. and Kongsberg are going to, jointly, examine the prospects of using the Norwegian NASAMS air defence system technologies, within the framework of the Polish “Narew” programme. The collaboration also assumes that a technology transfer is going to be implemented, with the know-how being received by the Polish Armament Group. The document signed by the parties also stresses the options of starting a collaboration within the area of developing a Polish-Norwegian air defence missile, which would complement the AMRAAM effector used by the NASAMS suite.
The letter to be signed is a starting point of a long term collaboration between Kongsberg and the Polish Armament Group. And our goals are ambitious. PGZ and Kongsberg decided to fuse the industrial potential of both companies, in order to expand the defensive capabilities of Norway and Poland, and in order to accelerate the economic development of our countries.
Both companies are also expected to, as the letter of intent suggests, examine options of collaboration in the domain created by the Naval Strike Missile and the Coastal Defence System (which, in Poland, is known as the NDR). Poles and Norwegians are also willing to start collaboration pertaining to the naval battlefield management systems, along with a relevant technology transfer realized in that area. As it has been noted by the representatives of the Polish company, this would help them to gain more competency, in a role of an international and competitive supplier of naval systems.
The letter of intent also opens a way towards cooperation, between Kongsberg and PGZ S.A., in the domain of space programmes, and surveillance and reconnaissance initiatives.
I am very proud of the fact that this cooperation memorandum has been concluded. Kongsberg has developed thanks to the international cooperation, and maybe due to that we understand and support the current strategy undertaken by the PGZ company which is willing to establish such alliances. For Kongsberg, cooperation with PGZ has a deep, long-term nature, which will step outside Poland, and onto the international markets.
The signing of the agreement was one of the points to be realized, during the four day long Andrzej Duda’s visit to Norway. The event which took place at the Akershust Fortress also involved Harald V, the King of Norway. Signatures under the letter were placed by Arkadiusz Siwko, President of the PGZ S.A. company, Vice-President of the PGZ S.A. company – Maciej Lew-Mirski, and President of the Norwegian Kongsberg company, Harald Ånnestad.
Another event during the visit was the demonstration of the NASAMS system, involving the President of Poland and the King of Norway.