Norway plans to establish production of unmanned surface vehicles directly in Ukraine. As reported by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense on June 23, a corresponding contract has already been signed.
The project will be implemented within the framework of the Maritime Coalition, which Norway leads together with the United Kingdom. In total, the country has allocated 6.7 billion Norwegian kroner (about 590 million US dollars) for 2025 to strengthen Ukraine's maritime defense capabilities.
Part of these funds will go towards the creation of unmanned sea vessels, which will be developed using technologies from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). Production will take place in Ukraine, using Norwegian experience and technical solutions.
The contract between Kongsberg and the Ukrainian side was announced by Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Onshus Sandvik. The production facilities will be located in Ukraine, which, according to the parties, will allow for increased localization and accelerated delivery of technologies in real war conditions.
At the same time, on June 22, it became known that an office of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace had opened in Ukraine. Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov noted that cooperation with the company would cover not only maritime projects, but also air defence systems.
Kongsberg is a well-known player in the field of defense technologies. In particular, it produces NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems, which are actively used by Ukraine to protect against Russian air attacks.
