This is driven by Norway and Australia’s involvement in the F-35fighter program and the need for a new ammunition round capable ofmeeting all requirements and ensuring lethality against both soft andhard targets. This will include cooperation on the Norwegian ammunitionconcept, APEX, and a special traininground as well as Thales’ frangible ammunition round called APFI. TheAPEX development and qualification effort is now fully funded by theNorwegian Ministry of Defense and Nammo.
“This cooperation will create a new platform for ammunition businessbetween two industry leaders. Nammo’s APEX concept is based on morethan 20 years of heritage in the aircraft ammunition business withpresence on nearly all fighter aircraftof NATO and in the western world. This will give the air forcessuperior performance both in the air combat role and in the close airsupport role” said Kjell Kringsjå, the Executive Vice president of Nammo’s Medium and Large Caliber Division.
Chris Jenkins, CEO of Thales Australia, said: “I have highexpectations for this cooperation. Not only will this create a broaderbasis for further business development, but it will also pave the wayfor industrial participation related to the F-35 programme and entryinto the aircraft ammunition area.”
“Our significant expertise in ordnance, combined with ourworld-class propellant technology, is the basis of what will be ahighly productive partnership with Nammo and a product offering thatwill appeal to a wide range of international customers.”
The Nammo Group is an international defense group specializing in design and productionof ammunition products, shoulder fired weapon systems, missile andspace propulsion systems and demilitarization services. The Nammo Groupemploys 1900 people in 7 countries.
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace and Space,Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2009, the companygenerated revenues of 12.9 billion euros (equivalent of AUD 22.7billion) with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design,develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the mostcomplex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional internationalfootprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.
