AUSA 2023: Kongsberg rapidly developing C-UAS solution for Ukraine

Ukraine to receive Kongsberg Cortex Typhon C-UAS solution and Dingo 2 vehicles as part of the International Fund for Ukraine. (Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace)

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is now in the test phase for integrating the Cortex Typhon counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) and plans to deliver the first platforms to Ukraine in early 2024, the company told Janes on 4 October.

The company announced in August it would send several systems to Ukraine worth GBP56 million (USD68 million), funded by the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The solution will take a technology developed for the Norwegian Army and integrate it for a C-UAS mission, a representative for Kongsberg told Janes ahead of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2023 annual conference.

Kongsberg provides the remote weapon station (RWS) and Cortex integrated combat solution for the Typhon while Teledyne FLIR Defense supplies surveillance systems for the technology, according to the announcement.

Instead of one RWS, Kongsberg will integrate “two to three” onto the back of the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) Dingo 2 all-protected carrier vehicles that Norway is donating, according to a representative from Kongsberg. This should increase the probability of taking out the drone, according to the company.

The concept is to use a 50 calibre machine gun for C-UAS as a cheap, simple alternative to a larger, more complicated short-range air-defence (SHORAD) system, the representative said.

The technology has caught the attention of the US Army, according to the representative. The company is in active discussions with the service but declined to provide details because of their early stage.