Nammo

Nammo, short for Nordic Ammunition Company, is a Norwegian/Finnish aerospace and defence group specialized in production of ammunition, rocket engines and space applications. The company has subsidiaries in Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the United States. The company is owned 50/50 by the Norwegian government (represented by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries) and the Finnish defence company Patria. The company has its headquarters in Raufoss, Norway.

Nammo AS
TypePrivate
IndustryArms industry
Aerospace industry
Founded1998
HeadquartersRaufoss, Norway
Key people
Morten Brandtzæg (CEO),
ProductsAmmunition, missiles, explosives, rocket engines, and propulsion systems
NOK 1061 million (2016)
Number of employees
2200 (2017)
ParentNorwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry (50%)
Patria 50% (50.1% owned by the government of Finland and 49.9% by Kongsberg Gruppen)
Websitewww.nammo.com

The company has four business units: Small and Medium Caliber Ammunition, Large Caliber Systems, Aerospace Propulsion, and Commercial Ammunition.

History

Nammo was founded in 1998 by Raufoss (Norway), Patria (Finland), and Celsius (Sweden). The Lapua cartridge factory in Finland is also part of the Nammo group as Nammo Lapua Oy. In 2005, the present joint ownership between Patria and the Norwegian government was established.[1]

Norwegian export control laws prohibit Norwegian companies from selling munitions to countries at war or conflict . Nammo's then information director, Sissel Solum, said Nammo bears no responsibility for the use of their munitions after purchase, although some claimed (including the Norwegian Church Aid and PRIO) that this is a breach of the intended spirit of national export regulations.[2][3] The company has also been able to circumvent Norwegian laws by outsourcing manufacturing to plants in the US, Finland, and Sweden.[2]

In 2007, Nammo acquired the US munitions company, Talley, Inc. after purchasing 100% of its shares. In 2009, it was revealed that the Israeli Defense Forces purchased 28,000 M72 LAWs from Nammo Talley, along with weapons parts and training missiles valued at NOK 600 million. These munitions were later used in Operation Cast Lead.[2][4] According to Nammo Raufoss AS managing director, Lars Harald Lied, the company also produces 12.7mm "Multi-Purpose" ammunition[5] that was used by both American and Norwegian soldiers in the War in Afghanistan, often in contravention of international law.[6]

Products

Aerospace Propulsion

Nammo produces the following missiles and missile propulsion systems:[7]

Orbital launch vehicle

Nammo manufactures separation rocket motors for Ariane 6, and in the past manufactured them for the Ariane 5.[8]

In January 2013, Nammo and the Andøya Rocket Range spaceport announced that they would be "developing an orbital Nanosatellite launch vehicle (NLV) rocket system called North Star that uses a standardized hybrid motor, clustered in different numbers and arrangements, to build two types of sounding rockets and an orbital launcher", able to deliver a 10 kg (22 lb) nanosat into polar orbit.[9]

Small and medium caliber ammunition

Large caliber ammunition

As of 2018, Nammo produced the following non-exhaustive list of medium and large caliber ammunition:[10]

Shoulder-fired systems

Nammo has manufactured shoulder-fired systems since the 1960s, with licence production of the M72 LAW beginning at Raufoss in Norway in 1966. In 2007, Nammo acquired the US munitions company, Talley, Inc., after purchasing 100% of its shares. Today Nammo has operations 10 places in the US (Nammo Defense Systems Inc.) and is the only licensed manufacturer of the M72 LAW, with production lines in Raufoss and Mesa, Arizona.

In addition to the M72, Mesa also manufactures the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition for the United States Army, while Nammo’s facilities in Columbus, Mississippi, manufactures ammunition for the SMAW-system for the United States Marine Corps.

Nammo Defense Systems Inc., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $498,092,926 firm-fixed-price contract for the full rate production of M72 light assault weapon variants and components for shoulder-launched munitions training systems on December 20, 2021.[11]

Rocket engine consultancy and development

In 2019 Nammo was awarded an ESA contract to initiate development of a reusable rocket engine for the ascent stage of the Heracles lunar lander.[12] The engine may be fed by electrically driven pumps, from low pressure propellant tanks, which may enable in-space refueling.[12]

References
  1. "History of Lapua". Nammo Lapua. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  2. Leer-Salvesen, Tarjei; Thorleifsson, Renie; Martiniussen, Erik (10 February 2009). "Norge tjener på våpensalg til Israel" [Norway Profits from Weapon Sales to Israel] (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  3. Løkeland-Stai, Espen (26 November 2015). "Fra Nammo til Israel" [From Nammo to Israel] (in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. "Israel - M72A7 Light Anti-Armor Weapons (LAAWs)" (PDF) (Press release). DSCA. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  5. Vingelsgård, Lars (10 February 2010). ""Deler kroppen i to"" ["Splits the Body in Two"] (in Norwegian). Under Dusken. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. Johnsen, Nilas (7 October 2008). "Dreper fra 1380 meter" [Kills from 1380 meters] (in Norwegian). VG. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  7. Missile Products (PDF). Nammo AS.
  8. "Nammo to supply Ariane 6 with rocket motors" (Press release). Raufoss: Nammo. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  9. Lindsey, Clark (2013-01-28). "North Star rocket family with hybrid propulsion". NewSpace Watch. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
  10. Nammo Ammunition Handbook (PDF) (5 ed.). Nammo AS. 2018.
  11. defense.gov - Contracts For Dec. 20, 2021
  12. "Developing a high-performance rocket motor for the Heracles mission to the Moon". www.esa.int.
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