Kongsberg Defense Aerospace News

Lockheed Martin marked a milestone in the Norwegian Navy New Frigate program with completion of the Critical Design Review for the Integrated Weapon System. System (IWS). The IWS includes the full complement of ship sensors, weapons, computing suite and communications equipment designed to give the Nansen-class frigates advanced anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air capabilities. Based on the U.S. Navy's Aegis combat system, the IWS also will support interoperability of Norwegian Navy ships with those of the United States and other users of the Aegis system. Lockheed Martin is developing the IWS for five new Norwegian frigates being built by the Spanish shipbuilder IZAR Construcciones Navales, SA.

In extending its adherence to delivering cost-efficient and safety driven technologies, DNV has introduced a new means of quickly and accurately determining steel thickness can speed ship surveys. It is especially valuable in inspecting old and corroded steelwork. Present-day methods, based on ultrasonic thickness measurements, are said to have dubious reliability on heavily corroded plates, and for large vessels are also considered too slow. The basic technological challenge was to transmit 100 percent of the signal energy through corroded steel plates, and receive and interpret the reflected signal to give an accurate thickness measurement. The basic principles of the new measuring method (half-wave resonance) have been known for 40 years.

Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) signed a contract with the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD) for Underwater Surveillance and Protection. Kongsberg by KDA will carry out the three-year project in cooperation with Kongsberg Maritime (KM) and Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), and assisted by the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN). Haakonsvern, the main base of the RNoN. Necessary adaptations, improvements and extensions will be implemented in the integrated system during the project period. The background for the project is the general need for protection of Norwegian installations in Norway, and protection of Norwegian forces in international operations.

Based on half-wave resonance measurements, a new means of quickly and accurately determining steel thickness can speed ship surveys. It is especially valuable in inspecting old and corroded steelwork. The new DNV system, launched at Nor-Shipping '99 is unique. Present-day methods, based on ultrasonic thickness measurements, are not reliable on heavily corroded plates, and for large vessels are also considered too slow. The basic technological challenge was to transmit 100 percent of the signal energy through corroded steel plates, and receive and interpret the reflected signal to give an accurate thickness measurement. The basic principles of the new measuring method (half-wave resonance) have been known for 40 years.

Based on half-wave resonance measurements, a quick, accurate means of determining steel thickness can speed ship surveys. It is especially valuable in inspecting old and corroded steelwork. Present-day methods, based on ultrasonic thickness measurements, are not reliable on heavily corroded plates, and for large vessels are also considered too slow. A new Det Norske Veritas (DNV) system addresses the technological challenge of transmitting 100 percent of the signal energy through corroded steel plates, and receiving and interpreting the reflected signal to give an accurate thickness measurement. The basic principles of the new measuring method (half-wave resonance) have been known for 40 years.