The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (Kongsberg) and Finland’s Patria Oyj have formed a teaming agreement to provide turreted mortar solutions for future U.S. Army mortar programs. Under this agreement the team will promote the turreted mortar and produce the 120mm Patria Nemo, turreted, remote-controlled mortar system in the US.
“Kongsberg and Patria have a long history of working together and a relationship that was strengthened in 2016 with Kongsberg’s minority stake in Patria”, says Pål Bratlie Executive Vice President Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS. “This teaming agreement for the Nemo mortar system is a fantastic means for our companies to join forces to provide solutions to the warfighter for the turreted mortar mission”. Kongsberg already produces the remote operated Medium Caliber Turret (MCT) mounting the 30mm cannon for the 8×8 Stryker, and Marine Corps ACV.
The teaming combines Kongsberg’s U.S. engineering and production capability, and Patria’s knowhow in mortar systems. In May 2020, Patria entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for the Nemo mortar system with the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Armaments Center. (Link to post)
According to Jussi Järvinen, President of Patria’s Land Business Unit, the established manufacturing facilities at Kongsberg’s Remote Weapon Stations and Medium Caliber Turrets production line in the Johnstown, PA, facility, and U.S. supply chain made teaming with Kongsberg a logical choice for Patria. “Together, we provide the most advanced, protected and mobile 120mm mortar system,” Järvinen said.
The U.S. Army, in 2015, chose Kongsberg’s MCT-30 to increase the lethality of the Stryker Brigade in Europe. The system has been fielded and operated with the Army as part of the European Deterrence Initiative since 2018. Today, MCT-30 is the primary armament and fire control system for the Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon (ICV-D) Strykers. In May 2020 BAE Systems contracted Kongsberg to deliver up to 150 MCTs for the US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) -30 program, commencing in a phased program beginning early 2021, followed by production phases. All MCT-30s, and any remote weapon stations, bound for U.S. customers are manufactured in the Kongsberg Johnstown, PA facility leveraging a U.S. supply base located in over 30 states.
