Sultanate of Oman selects Raytheon NASAMS
Raytheon will supply the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to Oman under a direct commercial sales contract worth $1.28 billion announced on 23 January. With this sale the Sultanate of Oman will become the seventh NASAMS customer and the first in the Gulf region.
The contract will see the company deliver ground support equipment, a full training package, and technical assistance to Oman. Raytheon will work closely with its NASAMS partner and sub-contractor, Kongsberg, on the contract.
NASAMS is designed to defend high value civilian and military assets on the ground against air threats. The system works with the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System and the Hawk Air Defense system. Its modularity and open architecture enable a continuous evolution in performance to meet emerging threats.
Dan Crowley, president, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, said: ‘The Sultanate of Oman’s competitive selection of Raytheon’s NASAMS validates the superior performance, system adaptability and overall security that NASAMS provides. Raytheon is committed to delivering the exceptional defence capabilities of NASAMS to Oman.’
Walter Qvam, CEO, Kongsberg Gruppen, added: ‘The cooperation with Raytheon has over the years developed into a close and strong partnership with a large potential market for our air defence solutions. This agreement with Oman is the single largest supply-contract in Kongsberg’s history and is a strong evidence of NASAMS` international position.’
The system has been deployed by the US 24/7 for the last eight years to protect the airspace above Washington DC; and it is also operationally deployed in Norway, Finland, The Netherlands, and Spain.
More from Land Warfare
-
Laser weapon solutions are emerging as Europe confronts air defence cost imbalance
Europe’s air defence debate is increasingly shaped by the blunt economics of the field. While high-value interceptor missiles can effectively shoot down cheap drones, doing so at scale presents cost challenges.
-
Is the RCH 155 self-propelled wheeled howitzer for the British Army finally on the way?
The Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm self-propelled gun is making strong progress, with contracts being placed and production capacity being boosted for the base Boxer vehicle.
-
ARX Robotics expands in UK following British Army backing for uncrewed platforms
Following an order from the British Army, ARX Robotics has begun manufacturing autonomous ground platforms in the UK. Christopher Foss examines the company's growing range of systems.
-
Textron unveils a smaller, low-cost variant of the Ripsaw family of UGVs
Ripsaw M1 has been designed to support the US Marine Corps’ littoral missions by carrying diverse types of payloads and performing multiple missions. Shephard spoke with Textron to find out more.
-
UK plans to adopt “phased approach to restarting” British Army Ajax programme
The introduction of Ajax vehicles into British Army service was stopped after health issues during an exercise. However, an investigation reported “no single causal mechanism of the symptoms reported by our soldiers but rather a combination of multiple factors”.