Raytheon-Kongsberg System is Proving Itself – In Demos and In Combat

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On a rocky island off the coast of Norway, Michael Sadlowski watched as a surface-to-air missile launcher pointed up into a dark nighttime sky.

In the distance, a target playing the role of a cruise missile approached. The launcher swiveled, popped open one of the six doors on its face and, with a flash and a cloud of smoke, sent an interceptor straight at the target.

The scene played out several times that day in 2022 during Trident Elding, a demonstration that showed the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System – codeveloped by Raytheon, an RTX business, and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace – could engage multiple targets with various interceptors.

“It was one of the best things we ever did,” said Sadlowski, an associate director of requirements and capabilities at Raytheon. “We learned a lot about how those missiles flew.”

The demonstration validated and symbolized two major features of NASAMS: its flexibility – specifically its ability to fire multiple types of missiles – and the 30-year international partnership that has helped make it a sought-after air defense system around the world.