Nordic Defense News, pictures, videos and history

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the 20th anniversary of the Telemark Batallion. Competition between the 3rd and 3th mech infantery companies.

 

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More pics of the Forsvarets

 

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Norway Picks Supacat High-Mobility Vehicle
By Andrew Chuter
May 6, 2015

Norway ordered Supacat's HMT Extenda vehicle under a $34.8 million deal to improve the mobility of its land forces.(Photo: Supacat)

LONDON — Norway has ordered HMT Extenda vehicles from British maker Supacat under a deal valued at £23 million (US $34.8 million), including support, to bolster the mobility of its land forces.

In its announcement Wednesday, the company did not say how many vehicles were involved, but added it had an option to double the order.

Deliveries will begin next year and be completed in 2019.

The rolling chassis for the vehicles will be built at Supacat's Devon-based facility in southwest England and shipped to Norway for final fit and integration.

Supacat Managing Director Nick Ames said the Norwegian order "reinforces our world lead in this niche corner of the defense industry and underlines HMT Extenda's position as the vehicle of choice for the modern fighting forces."

The vehicles, similar to machines used extensively by British forces in Afghanistan, can be converted to a 4x4 or 6x6 configuration by installing or removing a self-contained third axle allowing the Extenda to meet changing operational requirements.

Used by special operations forces, the Extenda order for Norway comes just over eight months after Australia signed up a AUS $105 million (US $82.8 million) deal with Supacat for delivery of 89 of the high-mobility machines.

The Australian vehicles (pictured above) are for use in the special operations role and add to an earlier order for Supacat HMT series machines.

Norway joins Denmark as the second Nordic country to operate the HMT family of vehicles

Norway Picks Supacat High-Mobility Vehicle

 

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Onsdag 29. April kom det et mayday fra et fergefartøy i indre Oslo fjord, fergen lakk olje og hadde grunnstøtt. Det hele var endel av katastrofe øvelsen Harbourex15 hvor etater som kystvakten, politi, brann, 330 skvadronen og redningsselskapet samarbeidet for å redde og søke etter savnede

Skipsbjellen til KNM Thor Heyerdahl under øvelsen Joint Warrior 2015

Soldater fra Innsatsstyrke Ida og Lyra (HV-17)

En skarpskytter fra HV-17 under vinterøvelsen Joint Viking 2015 i Finnmark

 

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Combat engineer recruits:

 

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More pics of the Forsvaret

Just a normal day in Oslo - En militærvakt på jobb i snøværet utenfor Akershus Festning

 

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Onsdag 29. April kom det et mayday fra et fergefartøy i indre Oslo fjord, fergen lakk olje og hadde grunnstøtt. Det hele var endel av katastrofe øvelsen Harbourex15 hvor etater som kystvakten, politi, brann, 330 skvadronen og redningsselskapet samarbeidet for å redde og søke etter savnede

EOD-operatører fra FAES og Stridstrenbataljonen på øvelse Joint Viking 2015 i Finnmark. Her en en operatør iført en 40 kilos bombedrakt, som skal beskytte mot trykk og fragmenter ved detonasjon av eksplosiver.

Øvelse Rekrutt er garderekruttenes siste feltøvelse før de er fardige med rekruttperioden på Terningmoen. Her får de blant annet prøvde seg på militære operasjoner i bebygd område, MOBO. Å drive operasjoner i bebygd og urbant miljø er svært krevende.

GARDEN PÅ FORTET HMKG gjennomførte årets første storøvelse, YMER 1, på Trøgstad fort i Østfold.
1. Gardekomapni sikret fortet med støtte fra spesialtroppene i 5. Gardekompani, og i Husebyleiren styrte staben operasjonene med stødig hånd. Det snart 100år gamle fjellfortet rommer blant annet 1,3km med tuneller og overbyde skytterstilinger.

Her demonterer Cyberforsvarets avdeling for cybertjenester og -operasjoner (CTO) radiolinjeskudd under øvelse Joint Viking 2015 i Finnmark.

 

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Trude Reitan bærer på Henrik Plassen under en sanitetes drill med kampeskadronen i ommrådet rundt Rena leir.

Forsvarets sanitet i MEDVAC-øvelse, under øvelse Joint Viking 2015 i Finnmark

Mannskap i M109 artillerivogn, tilhørende det helprofesjonelle Batteri Piraya i Artilleribataljonen, under øvelse Joint Viking 2015 i Finnmark

Jegertroppen i Innsatsstyrke Ida & Lyra øver på fremrykning under deres øvelse Jerv ifb med øvelse Joint Viking.

Kystjegere setter opp hellfire våpen

En rekke stridsvogner, beltevogner og andre kjøretøyer på vei til øvelse Joint Viking

Kystjegere fra kystjegerkommandoen speider utover Finnmarkskysten under vinterøvelsen Joint Viking

Nordlys i øvingsområde under Joint Viking

 

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KV Senja soler seg i den lave ettermiddagssole

Menige øver på mann over bord

Dåpen skjer ved verftet Vard Langsten i Tomrefjorden i Romsdal, og det er statsminister Erna Solberg som skal døpe nye «Marjata». Dåpen er en ny milepæl for Etterretningstjenestens nye overvåkningsfartøy.

Latvisk statsbesøk til Norge.

Forsvarets spesialstyrker gjennomførte en demo mot et sivilt fartøy i Oslo fjorden ifb med statsbesøket. En av spesialstyrkensd RHIB båter på Oslofjorden under demoen

GARDEN PÅ FORTET

HMKG gjennomførte årets første storøvelse, YMER 1, på Trøgstad fort i Østfold.
1. Gardekomapni sikret fortet med støtte fra spesialtroppene i 5. Gardekompani, og i Husebyleiren styrte staben operasjonene med stødig hånd. Det snart 100år gamle fjellfortet rommer blant annet 1,3km med tuneller og overbyde skytterstilinger.

Innsatsstyrke Ida & Lyra i HV-17 øver på oppdrag i Kviby utenfor Alta

Soldater og materiell under skarpskyting på Joint Viking 2015

 

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Nordic, Baltic States To Share Capabilities
By Gerard O'Dwyer
May 10, 2015

Norway is seeking to replace its Ula-class submarines.(Photo: Wikipedia)

HELSINKI — The destabilizing impact of Russia's aggression in Ukraine, coupled with its continuing militarization in the High North and Baltic Sea region, will lead to a significant increase in the level of strategic ambition driving future Nordic defense cooperation.

This more dynamic and deepened collaboration is set to fundamentally change the direction of Nordic cooperation, from being an interstate interaction based largely on aspirational goals, to a more functional military union that will focus more on building joint capabilities and sharing land, air and naval capacities to offer a credible and collective deterrence against regional threats.

The degree to which Nordic military cooperation canprovide a serious deterrence capability on a regional scale is directly linked to the investment programs that will be run in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland up to 2030.

Combined, these core programs are expected to cost $30 billion to $40 billion, and will include the replacement of fighter fleets, the bolstering of air defenses, the modernization of armored brigades and mobile artillery systems, and the procurement and modernization of submarines for the Swedish and Norwegian navies.

"These investments are being made at a time when government finances are stretched, but they are essential to national and regional security," said Carl Haglund, Finland's defense minister. "The new defense agreement also has a stronger industrial side, and there will be more focus on including the Nordic defense industry in project planning and future joint procurements."

To emphasize the elevated regional security dimension, the new Nordic defense agreement is being extended to include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the three NATO-aligned Baltic states that are also planning to step up defense spending.

The Nordic governments, during a meeting of defense ministers in Sweden, committed their countries to pooling resources and operational tasks, sharing military bases, raising the level of joint exchange of intelligence and increasing collective regional surveillance.

Moreover, the Nordic and Baltic armed forces will actively increase the scale and range of joint multi-branch exercises between their militaries.

The meeting of Nordic defense ministers identified Russia as the primary destabilizing force in the region, and the reason behind their need to reinforce Nordic-Baltic military collaboration.

"The Russian aggression against the Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea are violations of international law and other international agreements. Russia's conduct represents the gravest challenge to European security. As a consequence, the security situation in the Nordic countries' adjacent areas has become significantly worsened during the past year; we must be prepared to face possible crises or incidents," Nordic and Iceland defense ministers said in a statement.

The Nordic countries must meet this situation with solidarity and a deepened cooperation, the statement said. "We are also introducing a program to develop defense capacities, where we in cooperation with the Baltic nations can contribute to reforming the defense sectors of our cooperating countries," the statement added.

The objective of the new agreement, said Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, is to harness Nordic military capacities as part of stronger regional defense collaboration that also covers the Baltic Sea area.

"A credible joint defense relationship provides strength, security and improves predictability. Through commitments and cooperation, such as regular exercises between our militaries, it also offers a firmer form of deterrence," Hultqvist said.

Moscow will view the strengthened Nordic defense agreement as further evidence of NATO at work to entice neutral Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, said Lucas Cavens, a Brussels-based political analyst.

"The Kremlin sees this new era of Nordic cooperation as being expressly directed against Russia. It will look at the detail and worry about Finland and Sweden drifting towards NATO," Cavens said. "Moscow will interpret their militaries acquiring NATO-compatible equipment and adopting NATO standards as further proof. Neither Finland nor Sweden have explicitly said they want to join NATO, but this will count for little in Moscow."

The military connection to NATO remains a thorn in the side of Russia's relations with Nordic countries. Sweden and Finland, which are members of the NATO Partnership for Peace initiative, now routinely participate in NATO-led joint exercises and operations.

The major capital investment programs being run by all Nordic militaries will help underpin the regional threat deterrence dynamic in the new defense agreement, said Allan Widman, chairman of Sweden's Parliamentary Defense Committee.

"A lot of money is being spent on advanced military hardware and systems by Nordic governments," Widman said. 'These, collectively, will give Nordic defense cooperation a much greater overall credibility heading in to the future. This is strength in numbers."

Sweden's big-ticket acquisitions will include new warships, the purchase of a new A26-class submarine type as part of a general sub fleet modernization; the procurement of a new-generation Gripen; and the re-establishment of a strong military presence on Gotland, Sweden's most southerly outpost in the Baltic Sea. Sweden is expected to invest more than $15 billion on these and other defense strengthening projects by 2030.

Of the Nordic countries, Norway is likely to be the biggest spender on defense. It is replacing its aging F-16s with 52 F-35As, including four trainer aircraft. This project alone is estimated to cost around $40 billion (Norway MoD estimate 2011), or $769 million per aircraft based on a 30 year life-cycle cost. Norway is also expected to procure a new submarine type to replace its Ula-class vessels.

Norway is spending a total of $500 million on a new anti-aircraft battery system for the Army's Artillery Battalion, and on the modernization of the Army's German-made Leopard 2 tanks. These two programs await final capital funding approval from the Norwegian Parliament.

Capital investment projects, which are being funded as part of the Norwegian Defense Force's long-term investment plans, are also ongoing to modernize facilities at the Norwegian Air Force's bases in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. The Army is also procuring and modernizing new CV90-type combat vehicles as part of a $1.32 billion program.

Finland's biggest acquisition program remains the replacement of the Finnish Air Force's 60 F/A-18 Hornets. Following mid-life upgrades costing $2.2 billion, the Hornets can continue to fly up to 2030. A fighter replacement competition is expected to run after a new government led by the Center Party takes office at the end of May.

The replacement program, which will cover the acquisition of 50 to 60 aircraft, will cost an estimated $4.2 billion to $4.5 billion. Finland is also modernizing its surface warships' capacity and air-defenses.

The Danish government is expected to advance the Danish Air Force's fighter replacement program in the second half of 2015. The original proposal was to acquire 48 aircraft on an estimated budget of $4.5 billion. However, with parliamentary elections pending in September, and the Social People's Party expected to be part of a new center-left coalition, this number could fall as low as 18 or 24. The Air Force operates 30 F-16s.

Denmark will also strengthen the Army's armored combat and mobility units. To this end, the Army is to acquire a minimum of 206 MOWAG Piranha 5 8x8 (General Dynamics) personnel carriers with an option to purchase up to 450 vehicles.

Nordic, Baltic States To Share Capabilities

 

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Bardufoss: Soldater fra Artilleribataljonen skøt salutt både i Bardu og Målselv kommune.

Onsdag 29. April kom det et mayday fra et fergefartøy i indre Oslo fjord, fergen lakk olje og hadde grunnstøtt. Det hele var endel av katastrofe øvelsen Harbourex15 hvor etater som kystvakten, politi, brann, 330 skvadronen og redningsselskapet samarbeidet for å redde og søke etter savnede

Forsvarssjef og Sjef KV på vei inn til brief for Kystvakten på Sortland

Klar til strid, KNM Thor Heyerdahl, KTS, Sjøforsvaret, Torsdagskrig, Øvelse

Kontroll og varslings sentralen til 130 Luftving på Mågerø

Soldater fra 2. bataljon klargjør for angrep med det panserbekjempende våpensystemet Javelin, under øvelse Joint Viking 2015 i Finnmark