The Hungarian Armed Forces will buy National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System, better known as NASAMS, according to the office of the commissioner for defense development.
According to a Reuters report, the Central European nation is expected to take the delivery of this air defense system, developed jointly by Kongsberg and Raytheon, in 2023.
As noted by Kongsberg, Hungary becomes the 6th NATO nation and the 12th country in the world to acquire NASAMS, a highly adaptable medium-range solution for a variety of operational air defense requirements.
Selecting NASAMS and becoming part of the greater NASAMS family allows Hungary to take advantage of the active production line – ensuring rapid delivery and competitive pricing for Hungary’s armed forces. The program enables long term industrial cooperation between Hungarian and Norwegian industry.
“With NASAMS Hungary will employ the most modern and capable medium-range air defense system in the world. NASAMS’ modularity and open architecture enables a continuous introduction of new technology ensuring that the system can be adapted to new threats and missions throughout its lifetime. The contract is a continued success of our cooperation with Raytheon Missiles & Defense in the air defense market,” says Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS.
“Hungary joins the U.S. and four other NATO nations in entrusting its medium-range air defense needs to NASAMS proven capability,” said Tom Laliberty, vice president of Land Warfare & Air Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense business. “Upgrading Hungary’s layered defense capabilities not only enhances NATO commonality, but maximizes the Hungarian military’s ability to quickly identify, engage and destroy current and evolving enemy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle and emerging cruise missile threats.”
The air defense solution is comprised of Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s AMRAAM and AMRAAM-ER missiles and SentinelTM radar, and Kongsberg’s Fire Distribution Center (FDC) and canister launcher. NASAMS offers air defenders the proven effectiveness of the AMRAAM missile which is in the inventory of 39 countries. Sentinel is a proven air defense radar deployed by more than 18 countries and has been evolved to address the C-UAS threat.