Nammo

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Nammo AS
Company type Private
Industry Defense industry
Aerospace industry
Founded1998;26 years ago (1998)
Headquarters Raufoss, Norway
Key people
Morten Brandtzæg (CEO)
Products Ammunition, missiles, explosives, rocket engines, and propulsion systems
Revenue NOK 7.45 billion (2022) [1]
Number of employees
2800 (2022) [1]
Parent Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry (50%)
Patria 50% (50.1% owned by the government of Finland and 49.9% by Kongsberg Gruppen)
Website www.nammo.com

Nammo, short for Nordic Ammunition Company, is a Finnish-Norwegian 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 ownership is evenly split between 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.

Contents

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  [ sv ] (Sweden). The Lapua cartridge factory  [ fi ] in Lapua, Finland, is also part of the Nammo group as Nammo Lapua Oy  [ fi ]. In 2005, the present joint ownership between Patria and the Norwegian government was established. [2]

In 2007, Nammo acquired the US munitions company Talley, Inc. after purchasing 100% of its shares.

Controversies

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. [3] [4]

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. [3] [5] According to Nammo Raufoss AS managing director, Lars Harald Lied, the company also produces 12.7mm "Multi-Purpose" ammunition [6] that was used by both American and Norwegian soldiers in the War in Afghanistan.

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] [ needs update ]

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,[ when? ] Nammo has operations in ten 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 20 December 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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table of handgun and rifle cartridges</span> Small arms cartridge data

This is a table of selected pistol/submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-personnel weapon</span> Materiel designed to kill and injure infantry units

An anti-personnel weapon is a weapon primarily used to maim or kill infantry and other personnel not behind armor, as opposed to attacking structures or vehicles, or hunting game. The development of defensive fortification and combat vehicles gave rise to weapons designed specifically to attack them, and thus a need to distinguish between those systems and ones intended to attack people. For instance, an anti-personnel landmine will explode into small and sharp splinters that tear flesh but have little effect on metal surfaces, while anti-tank mines have considerably different design, using much more explosive power to effect damage to armored fighting vehicles, or use explosively formed penetrators to punch through armor plating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoulder-fired missile</span> Shoulder mounted recoilless launcher system for shells, unguided or guided rockets (missiles), etc

Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile, among other variants, are common slang-terms to describe high-caliber shoulder-mounted weapons systems – that is: weapons firing large heavy projectiles ("missiles"), typically using the backblast principle, which are small enough to be carried by a single person and fired while held on one's shoulder. The word "missile" in this context is used in its original broad sense of a heavy projectile, and encompasses all shells and rockets, guided or unguided. A more formal variant is simply shoulder-fired weapons system and the like.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon</span> Multi-role (anti-fortification, anti-armor) rocket launcher

The Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) is a smoothbore shoulder-fired rocket launcher. It is a portable assault weapon and has a secondary anti-armor ability. Developed from the B-300, it was introduced to United States Armed Forces in 1984. It has a maximum effective range of 500 metres (550 yd) against a tank-sized target.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliant Techsystems</span> American aerospace, defense, and arms firm (1990–2015)

Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American aerospace, defense, and sporting arms firm headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. The company operated in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. ATK revenue in fiscal year 2014 was about US$4.78 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.338 Lapua Magnum</span> Finnish rifle cartridge

The .338 Lapua Magnum is a rimless, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It was developed during the 1980s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military snipers. Due to its use in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, the cartridge has become widely available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M72 LAW</span> Anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher

The M72 LAW is a portable one-shot 66 mm (2.6 in) unguided anti-tank weapon. The solid rocket propulsion unit was developed in the newly-formed Rohm and Haas research laboratory at Redstone Arsenal in 1959, and the full system was designed by Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks, Frank A. Spinale, et al. at the Hesse-Eastern Division of Norris Thermador. American production of the weapon began by Hesse-Eastern in 1963, and was terminated by 1983; currently it is produced by Nammo Raufoss AS in Norway and their subsidiary, Nammo Defense Systems in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. helicopter armament subsystems</span>

The United States military has developed a number of Helicopter Armament Subsystems since the early 1960s. These systems are used for offensive and defensive purposes and make use of a wide variety of weapon types including, but not limited to machine guns, grenade launchers, autocannon, and rockets. Various systems are still in use, though many have become obsolete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avio</span> Italian Aerospace Company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition</span>

High-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition (HEIAP) is a form of shell which combines armor-piercing capability and a high-explosive effect. In this respect it is a modern version of an armor-piercing shell. The ammunition may also be called semi-armor-piercing high-explosive incendiary (SAPHEI)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booster separation motor</span>

The booster separation motors or BSMs on the Space Shuttle were relatively small rocket motors that separated the reusable solid rocket boosters (SRB) from the orbiter after SRB burnout. Eight booster separation motors were attached to each of the shuttle's two reusable solid rocket boosters, four on the forward frustum and four on the aft skirt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Propulsion Establishment</span> UK-based military research site at RAF Westcott

The Rocket Propulsion Establishment at Westcott, Buckinghamshire on the site of the former RAF Westcott has made a number of notable contributions in the field of rocket propulsion, including input on the rocket design for the Blue Streak missile and the propulsion systems on Chevaline. It was also known as the Guided Projectiles Establishment and PERME Westcott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protector RWS</span> Remotely controlled weapons system

The Protector RWS is a remotely controlled weapons station (RWS) that can be mounted to vehicles and stationary platforms. It has been in full scale production since December 2001. It is manufactured by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway.

The Haskins Rifle, also known as the RAI 300(Research Armament Model 300) or Haskins M500 rifle was a bolt-action weapon designed by Jerry Haskins between 1981 and 1982 for snipers in the US Military. Unlike most military sniper rifles, the Haskins was purpose-built for the military, not reworked from an existing civilian firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.62×51mm NATO</span> Rimless, centerfire, bottlenecked rifle cartridge

The 7.62×51mm NATO is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries.

Raufoss Ammunisjonsfabrikker was a Norwegian company based at Raufoss, established in 1896 as Rødfoss Patronfabrik. Initially the company manufactured ammunition, and later also other products, such as aluminium parts to the automotive industry. Until 1948 the company was a subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Defence. In the 1990s the automobile division was split off as Raufoss Automotive and eventually taken over by Norsk Hydro. In 1998 the ammunition division was merged with the Swedish company Celsius and the Finnish company Patria, forming the new company Nammo.

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS) was a sector of Northrop Grumman from 2018 to 2019. It was formed from Orbital ATK Inc. a company which resulted from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems in 2015. Orbital ATK was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems designed, built, and delivered space, defense, and aviation-related systems to customers around the world both as a prime contractor and as a merchant supplier. It had a workforce of approximately 12,000 employees dedicated to aerospace and defense including about 4,000 engineers and scientists; 7,000 manufacturing and operations specialists; and 1,000 management and administration personnel. With Northrop Grumman's reorganization of its divisions effective January 1, 2020, NGIS was split, with most of the sector merging with other Northrop Grumman businesses into a new Space Systems sector.

The MK285 is an airburst grenade that can be fired from certain 40 mm belt-fed automatic grenade launchers.

References

  1. 1 2 Børresen, Erik (6 August 2023). "Rekordår for Nammo: Omsatte for 7,5 milliarder i fjor". Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  2. "History of Lapua". Nammo Lapua. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  3. 1 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.
  4. Løkeland-Stai, Espen (26 November 2015). "Fra Nammo til Israel" [From Nammo to Israel] (in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  5. "Israel - M72A7 Light Anti-Armor Weapons (LAAWs)" (PDF) (Press release). DSCA. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. Vingelsgård, Lars (10 February 2010). ""Deler kroppen i to"" ["Splits the Body in Two"] (in Norwegian). Under Dusken. 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 (28 January 2013). "North Star rocket family with hybrid propulsion" . NewSpace Watch. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  10. Nammo Ammunition Handbook (PDF) (5 ed.). Nammo AS. 2018.
  11. defense.gov - Contracts For Dec. 20, 2021
  12. 1 2 "Developing a high-performance rocket motor for the Heracles mission to the Moon". www.esa.int.