Kongsberg Gruppen is an international technology group headquartered in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, that supplies

high-technology High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...

systems to customers in the merchant marine,

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

, offshore

oil and gas A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and combustion, burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, petroleum, oil, and natura ...

industries, and

renewable A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...

and

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

industries. In 2018, Kongsberg had revenues of NOK 14.381 billion, and 6,842 employees in more than 25 countries.Kongsberg Group Reports and Presentations
/ref> The company is headquartered in

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud, Viken county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production ...

. It comprises three business areas: *

Kongsberg Maritime Kongsberg Maritime (KM) is a Norwegian technology enterprise within the Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG). Kongsberg Maritime deliver systems for positioning, surveying, navigation, and automation to merchant vessels and offshore installations. Their most ...

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and the supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapon ...

Kongsberg Digital Kongsberg Digital AS is a company in the Kongsberg Group. It was established in 2016, to provide software and digital solutions such as artificial intelligence, Maritime simulator, maritime simulation and automation to companies within Merchant ...

Kongsberg is a continuation of Kongsberg Weapons Factory (Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk - KV) (1814-1987). After KV's restructuring in 1987, defence activities continued as the company

Norsk Forsvarsteknologi Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

(NFT). In 1995 the company changed its name to Kongsberg Gruppen. Kongsberg was listed on the

Oslo Stock Exchange Oslo Stock Exchange ( no, Oslo Børs) (OSE: OSLO) is a stock exchange within the Nordic countries and offers Norway’s only regulated markets for securities trading today. The stock exchange offers a full product range including equities, deriv ...

in 1993 and is a

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (l ...

The Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

is the largest shareholder with a 50.001 percent interest. Markets outside of Norway pose a growing and increasingly important part of business and represented approximately 80% of revenue in 2015.

History

The company's origin and background dates back to the early 1600s. The discovery of silver in the mountains around Kongsberg in 1624 meant that the city became an important mineral resource for the Danish Norwegian kingdom. When the Danish-Norwegian union was dissolved about 200 years later there was a need to build up a strong defence that would contribute to independence and security for

. There was a need for a domestic defence industry, and

already had expertise after centuries of mining. On 20 March 1814

Poul Steenstrup Poul Steenstrup (10 December 1772 – 9 October 1864) was a Norwegian industrialist and politician. He was the founder of the Kongsberg Arms Factory (''Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk'') and served as a representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assem ...

founded Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk.

Beginning (1814–1890)

M1889 Krag-Jörgensen - Danmark - 8x58mmR - Armémuseum

1814 was an important year for Norway. The nation wrote its

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

and the weapons factory was one of the nation's first industrial factories.

Kongsberg Silver Mines Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Viken county in Norway. The town of Kongsberg is the site of the Norwegian Mining Museum (). History Operating from over 80 different sites, Kongsberg silver mines constituted th ...

experienced a

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

and as a consequence Kongsberg suffered distress and poverty. There was a need to create new jobs. In addition Norway was marked by the desire for national independence, and the Weapons factory would make the newly established state self-supplied with weapons. Kongsberg's mining traditions - established over several centuries - provided a good basis for building a knowledge-based business. Skilled mining engineers were now assigned to develop the new company. The Weapons Factory quickly began producing rifles for the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal ...

. A number of models were developed and delivered throughout the 19th century. The major international breakthrough came in 1888 when director

Ole Herman Johannes Krag Ole Herman Johannes Krag (7 April 1837 – 9 December 1916) was a Norwegian officer and firearms designer. Biography Ole H. J. Krag was born in Vågå, in Oppland county, Norway. Krag grew up in various locations where his father, Hans Peter Sc ...

and corps gunsmith Erik Jørgensen showcased a new type of rifle.

International breakthrough (1890–1900)

Kongsberg Vaabenfabrik (J David, 1899) - 2

Kongsberg Vaabenfabrik (J David, 1899) - 4

International breakthrough came with the Krag–Jørgensen rifle in 1892. The officer Ole Herman Johannes Krag and gunsmith Erik Jørgensen wanted to produce a new type of precision rifle, which was both easy to use, inexpensive to manufacture and which had revolutionary functionality. The rifle's mechanism proved to be something quite revolutionary in the arms industry. The Krag–Jørgensen rifle was first adopted as a service rifle by the

Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...

in 1889. Three years later the rifle became a world-known concept when the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

decided to equip their soldiers with the rifle. "The Krag" turned out to be one of the first major export contracts for the Norwegian industry. During a six-year period the U.S. alone produced well over half a million rifles on licence. In 1894 the weapon was adopted as army rifle for the

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...

. The weapon was in service until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. "The Krag" became Norway's first large-scale industrial export and helped to establish an important relationship with the U.S. military.

Modernization (1900–1945)

The Krag–Jørgensen rifle dominated production at Kongsberg until the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. When the war was over there was a significant decline in military orders. The company therefore used its position and expertise from the defence industry to enter new markets and seek new business opportunities. Production of civilian products such as civil weapons, tools, and parts for the

shipping industry Maritime transport (or ocean transport) and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people ( passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used thro ...

and whaling fleet began 1918. Other departments made bicycle components, while the cannon department made shafts, connecting rods, forgings and

whale gun Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic ecosystem, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Ce ...

s. Kongsberg launched its first civil products in 1921. The products won gold medal at the World Exposition in Barcelona in 1929. During

Kongsberg was under German control. Production, however, never came up to such numbers as the occupation forces wanted. This was partly due to access to raw materials, but also resistance among factory workers.

Industrial locomotive (1945–1960)

After the war, Kongsberg was designated as one of the major industrial builders in Norway. The company produced everyday necessities such as pots and pans, and contributed to the development of the

and

maritime industry Maritime transport (or ocean transport) and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used throu ...

. The weapons factory was no longer under military command, and in 1953, the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years base ...

, adopted a large-scale modernization and expansion of the company. The aim was to build a national high-tech defence industry that met the needs of the

as well as those of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. The creation of the Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt ("Defence Research Establishment") (FFI) at

Kjeller Kjeller is a village located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Lillestrøm, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north-east of Oslo. Name The Norse form of the name was probably ''Tjaldir''. This is then the plural of ''tjald'' n ' tent' ...

in 1947 was part of the same strategy. This cooperation was from the 1950s and up till present given rise to a number of defence systems such as the

Penguin missile The Penguin anti-ship missile, designated AGM-119 by the U.S. military, is a Norwegian passive IR seeker-based short-to-medium range anti-ship guided missile, designed for naval use. Overview Penguin was originally developed in a collaboratio ...

, NASAMS 2 air defence system, HUGIN AUV and

Naval Strike Missile The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). The original Norwegian name was Nytt sjømålsmissil (literally ''New sea target missile'', indicatin ...

. After an agreement with

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

in 1957, the production of automobile parts also became a considerable business for KONGSBERG. At first the company produced

drive shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power and torque and rotation, usually ...

s, and then other components for heavy trucks,

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es,

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

s and

agricultural machinery Agricultural machinery relates to the mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractors and the countless kinds of farm implements that the ...

. The division was later reorganized into the company

Kongsberg Automotive Kongsberg Automotive Holding ASA is an automotive parts manufacturer founded in Kongsberg, Norway with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The company produces a broad range of parts with production plants throughout the world. The company is l ...

Innovative breakthrough (1960–1987)

Having had a national focus in the

post-war period In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...

, KONGSBERG again directed its attention and expertise towards the international market. The years from 1960 to the end of the 80s were a time of innovation, development and rapid growth for Kongsberg. KONGSBERG's focus on the

began in the early 1970s and coincided with the discovery of oil in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. Companies that would later become part of Kongsberg Gruppen, such as Simrad and Norcontrol, however, had already provided sonar systems and equipment for fishing and merchant marine for decades. The 1970s also became the decade when KONGSBERG positioned itself towards the petroleum sector.

Dynamic positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompass ...

(DP) and subsea installations were revolutionary technology, which gave KONGSBERG a technological edge. KONGSBERG was about to get a position as a global technology leader.

International breakthroughs (1960–1987)

* The production of

gas turbines A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...

in 1969 * Submarine systems in 1969-1970 *

Subsea Subsea technology involves fully submerged ocean equipment, operations, or applications, especially when some distance offshore, in deep ocean waters, or on the seabed. The term ''subsea'' is frequently used in connection with oceanography, marin ...

and

dynamic positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompass ...

(DP) in the early 1970s * Pioneering

missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...

technology and the Penguin missiles in 1972 The rapid international growth resulted in both new opportunities and challenges. The new focus on establishing a civilian product portfolio changed the shape of the company. In 1981 civil divisions accounted for 70% of business. Companies were acquired and the number of employees increased sharply. An international network of offices and factories began to take shape. But the business advancement and progress coincided with national and international unrest, which had a serious impact on the company, as an outcome of so-called Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal, after illegal export to the Soviet Union machine tools banned by

Cocom The Cocom or Cocomes were a Maya family or dynasty who controlled the Yucatán Peninsula in the late Postclassic period. Their capital was at Mayapan. The dynasty was founded by Hunac Ceel Hunac Ceel Cauich (fl. late 12th and early 13th centu ...

. The outcome was a need to restructure the entire company.

Reappearance (1987–1993)

In 1987, the company was part of the Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal, which involved a subsidiary of

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...

and the Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. The two provided the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

with technology (Toshiba milling machines and Kongsberg computer numerical controls) that could be used to produce quiet

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

s, in violation of the

CoCom The Cocom or Cocomes were a Maya family or dynasty who controlled the Yucatán Peninsula in the late Postclassic period. Their capital was at Mayapan. The dynasty was founded by Hunac Ceel Hunac Ceel Cauich (fl. late 12th and early 13th centu ...

agreement. The US always relied on the fact that the Soviets had noisy boats. Providing the Soviet Union with technology that could make their subs harder to find and track was perceived as a significant threat to the security of the United States. 1987 was a turning point in the history of Kongsberg. The company was divided into divisions that manufactured automobile parts,

aircraft parts An aircraft part is an article or component approved for installation on a type-certificated aircraft. Approval for these parts is derived from the jurisdictions of the countries that an aircraft is based. In the United States, the Federal Aviatio ...

, oil installations, and marine equipment and defence equipment. Innovation was high, but not the profitability. The company had taken on too large and complex development tasks. The state, which owned all the shares, would not inject big money to keep the whole business, so the company was split up. The civil division was sold out, while the defence division continued under the name Norwegian Defence Technology (NFT) from 19 June 1987 to 1995. The newly formed company had for a short period of time a renewed focus on its core defence business. This helped the company regain financial stability. Then Kongsberg again turned its focus towards civil and maritime sectors. Kongsberg also entered new markets. In 1990 the company launched its own

division. The restructuring process that began in 1987 culminated in 1993 when it was decided that Kongsberg should be partially privatized and listed on the

. This gave Kongsberg greater independence and the opportunity to cooperate with private business investors. It helped facilitate many positive changes, such as the establishment of

as a separate business unit. The decision proved to be a crucial building block in the creation of Kongsberg as a modern company.

International growth (1993–2015)

In 1993, the company Norwegian Defence Technology (NFT) became publicly listed and partially privatized. Two years later, in 1995, the company took the name Kongsberg Gruppen and the current logo was established. Then followed a long series of acquisitions. This included buying back the maritime division. In 1997, Kongsberg gathered its operations in the subsidiaries

and

. In 2008, parts of the defence business spun off as a separate business area as "Kongsberg Protech Systems". Other defence activities continued under the name Kongsberg Defence Systems. Also in 2008, parts of Kongsberg Maritime, which had worked with simulation technology in oil and gas, were reorganized under new management. The result was Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies that was established as a separate business area. However, due to challenging market conditions in the oil and gas industry this area was consolidated into Kongsberg Maritime and the newly established business are
Kongsberg Digital in 2016
By the end of 2009 Kongsberg was divided into four separate divisions/business areas. As of October 2017 the business area Kongsberg Protech Systems was merged into Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Significant company developments (1993–2014)

* The development of the prototype of HUGIN which was demonstrated for Statoil in 1996, later further developed to MUNIN. REMUS is another

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification that includes ...

, produced at Hydroid, a fully owned subsidiary of Kongsberg. * The development of the weapons station

Protector RWS 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. ...

from 1997 * 1998: the Air Defence System Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) was pronounced operational. * The development of the

and the

Joint Strike Missile The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role, air-launched missile under development by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and American company Raytheon Missiles & Defense. The JSM is derived from the Naval Strike Missile. ...

. * The co-development of Well Advisor together with BP * In 2014, Kongsberg celebrated it
200th anniversary

Business

The Kongsberg Group has three business areas: Kongsberg Maritime, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Kongsberg Digital. *

delivers products and systems for positioning, navigation and automation to

merchant vessel A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are us ...

s and offshore installations, as well as products and systems for

seabed The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...

surveying and monitoring. *

focuses on command and control systems, weapons control systems, communication systems,

missiles In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...

, advanced composites and surveillance. *

provides technology, products and services relating to monitoring, integration, analysis, simulation, quality assurance and governance for the oil and gas industry, maritime simulation and the renewables and utilities industry.

Defence

Kongsberg has a long history of collaborating with national and international defence industries. The business area

is a provider of command and control systems, weapons control, communications, missiles, advanced composites and surveillance. A major milestone for the Group's defence area came in 2007 when the Group won a contract worth eight billion kroner for the delivery of CROWS II – a type of Protector Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) - to the

U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. The RWS allows the operator to control the weapon inside the vehicle, providing increased protection and reduced risk of both military personnel and civilians. As of today, the Protector RWS claims to be the world's leading provider of remote weapon stations. Kongsberg has since delivered more than 17,000 weapons systems to 16 countries worldwide. Kongsberg's largest single contract ever was signed in January 2014 with

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

on the air defence system

NASAMS NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, also known as the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Ae ...

. In September 2019, Kongsberg unveiled the

Vanguard-class multirole warship The Vanguard-class multirole warship is a design proposalSalt Ships Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

Notable defence area products

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

(NSM) *

(JSM) *

NASAMS 2 NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, also known as the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Ae ...

* Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS) - with

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...

CROWS The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. T ...

II – variant of Protector system *

Vanguard-class multirole warship The Vanguard-class multirole warship is a design proposalKongsberg Defence Systems Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and the supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapon ...

. In 1990, Kongsberg launched its own

business unit. Through its subsidiaries

Kongsberg Satellite Services Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (KSAT) is a Norwegian-based company. KSAT has the most extensive ground station network globally, and the world's largest ground station for support of polar orbiting satellites located at 78° North - Svalbard, ...

(KSAT) and

Kongsberg Spacetec Kongsberg Spacetec AS or KSPT or Spacetec A/S, is a supplier of space ground system solutions and services and is apart of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace's Space & Surveillance division. The department of ground stations is based in Tromsø, Norwa ...

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

the company is now a leader in services related to ground stations and satellites. Kongsberg currently operates a worldwide network of ground stations including on

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

and

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, used by e.g.

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

and the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

(ESA). The acquisition of Horten-based Norspace AS 2011 consolidated space operations in Norway and contributed to KONGSBERG's commercial position within international aerospace and surveillance was strengthened. Kongsberg's space division is Norway's largest supplier of equipment and services to the

(ESA). Kongsberg's Space & Surveillance division delivers a broad spectrum of equipment; systems and services related to space and maritime surveillance customers in more than 40 countries. The portfolio includes equipment and components for the European heavy-lift launcher

Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It is launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guiana. It has been used to deliver payloads int ...

, communication satellites, earth observation satellites and scientific space probes. The division is a supplier of satellite ground stations for downloading and processing satellite data, as well as a supplier of

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

services from ground stations at

in the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

, the

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

and numerous other locations. The division is also a provider of maritime domain awareness systems and control centers for maritime surveillance, where integration of terrestrial and satellite data constitutes an important component. Kongsberg's Space & Surveillance division is located in

Horten is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand an ...

and

Maritime

Kongsberg's focus on maritime industries began in the early 1970s and coincided with the discovery of oil in the

. This was also the decade in which Kongsberg positioned itself in the petroleum sector.

(DP) and underwater installations were two areas that would prove to be crucial for the company. On 17 May 1977 Kongsberg's first DP-system was put into operation on board the diving support vessel

Seaway Eagle Seaway may refer to: *Seaway (band), a pop punk band from Canada. * Sound (geography), a sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, and wider than a fjord, or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land * Sea lane A ...

. In 1983, KONGSBERG introduced the first diver-free underwater system for the Gullfaks field. It went on to operate for 20 years.

Kongsberg Maritime

is Kongsberg's largest business area. It is divided in three main areas: * Offshore * Subsea & Fishery * Merchant Marine Kongsberg Maritime delivers products and systems for positioning, navigation and automation to

s, Subsea and offshore installations, as well as products and systems for seabed surveying and monitoring. The company is a world leader in

(DP), automation and monitoring systems, process automation,

satellite navigation A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

and hydro-acoustics Kongsberg Maritime's activities have in recent years grown steadily. The company's supplies to the

subsea Subsea technology involves fully submerged ocean equipment, operations, or applications, especially when some distance offshore, in deep ocean waters, or on the seabed. The term ''subsea'' is frequently used in connection with oceanography, marin ...

, offshore and merchant fleet amounted in 2013 to over half of the Kongsberg Group's total revenue. In 2019, the company unveiled its proposed

Vanguard-class multirole warship The Vanguard-class multirole warship is a design proposalDynamic positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompass ...

* Subsea installations * Kongsberg Maritime Simulation * HUGIN * Seaglider * REMUS * MUNIN The business area is headquartered in Kongsberg, has greater activity in the maritime cluster in

, in addition to offices worldwide.

Digital

was established in 2016 to increase to group's focus and efforts on industrial digitalization. It was fully operational from 1 July 2016. The business area consists of simulation from the previous business area of Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies and simulation from

. In addition the business area has established positions within the renewable and utilities area. The business area is headquartered in

Asker Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greate ...

, with offices throughout

and the world.

Notable Kongsberg Digital products

* EmPower * K-Sim * K-Spice * Kognifai * LedaFlow® * Rig Manager® * SiteCom® * Kognitwin

Corporate management

Kongsberg's executives

, ''Manager 1814–1824 '' * Captain Fredrik Meyn, ''Manager/Vice President 1824–1842'' * Staff Captain Peder Christian Holst, ''Vice President 1842–1854'' * Captain Jens Landmark, ''Vice President 1854-1880 (constituted 1854–1855)'' * Captain

, ''Vice President 1880–1895'' * Captain Jacob Maximillian Gran Paaske, ''Vice President 1895–1912'' * Captain Johan Jørgen Schwartz, ''Vice President 1912–1926'' * Captain Haakon Finne, ''Vice President 1926–1940'' * Department engineer Thomas Mørk, ''Temporary Manager 1940–1945'' * Captain Haakon Finne, ''1945–1946 '' * Major Alstad, ''acting Vice President 1945–1948'' * Dr. scient. Leif Lyche, ''Vice President 1948–1956'' * Major Bjarne Hurlen, ''Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 1956–1975'' * Arthur J. Aasland, ''1975-1978'' * Rolf Qvenild, ''Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 1978–1987'' * Tor Espedal, ''1987'' * Jens Charles Width, ''1987–1988'' * Jan T Jørgensen, ''Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 1987–1999 '' * Jan Erik Korssjøen, ''Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 1999–2008 '' *

Walter Qvam Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, ''Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 2008–2016'' * Geir Håøy, ''Chief'' ''Executive Officer (CEO) 2016–''

Results

Figures are in billions.

Corruption charges

In 2014 the company and

Kongsberg Defence Systems Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is one of three business units of Kongsberg Gruppen (KONGSBERG) of Norway and the supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapon ...

were charged by Norway, for corruption related to deliveries (worth around Norwegian kroner 1.5 billionKongsberg Gruppen siktet for korrupsjon
/ref>) of communication equipment to Romania during 1999–2008.Kongsberg Gruppen siktet for korrupsjon
/ref> The alleged corruption supposedly occurred in

, according to

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 million ...

. In spring 2012 "various signals" indicated corrupt practices, and within a short time, investigators from outside the company were put to task.Alle spor stoppet i skatteparadis
/ref> In autumn of 2013 the company discontinued a year-long investigation by

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...

—without giving the investigators' report to the police.Undersøkte korrupsjonsrykter - spor stoppet i skatteparadis
/ref> The investigation found that funds had been transferred to

tax haven A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

s. On 25 February 2014

Økokrim The National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime ( no, Økokrim) is Norway's central unit for fighting economic and environmental crimes. The unit, created in 1989, has its main office in Oslo. Økokr ...

searched company premises in Kongsberg and

. On the same day one employee was arrested and charged (and released two days later). The leaders of the company were summoned for a meeting with then Minister of Trade and Industry. On 26 February 2014 the meeting was held, attended by then chairman and then CEO.Møte med Kongsberg Gruppen
/ref> The board meeting later that day, was joined by the minister via phone. On 27 February 2014 media said that then chairman had not read the report by PricewaterhouseCoopers about their investigation. A 28 February 2014

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

article said that the transaction with Romania was connected with

export guarantee An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

s worth Norwegian kroner 669 million—from Guarantee Institute for Export Credits (GIEK).Kongsberg fikk statlige garantier
/ref> Furthermore, "while we RKwere at the National Archives to find the documents, representatives from GIEK came to get the folders, supposedly because Økokrim has requested delivery of the documents—from GIEK". (The folders contained "three of the contracts"

ith Romania The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

) The contracts with GIEK, stipulate that bribes and other corruption are in violation of the contracts. Reactions to the investigation include professor Peter Gottschalk saying that "It is obvious that the company should have contacted the police and not discontinued the case. When financial crime is suspected, the police should be notified. I think that the reason they did not do that, was that they did not want publicity".- De burde gått til politiet, ikke lagt bort saken
/ref> A 28 February 2014

Dagens Næringsliv ''Dagens Næringsliv'' (Norwegian for "Today's Business"), commonly known as ''DN'', is a Norwegian newspaper specializing in business news. , it is the third-largest newspaper in Norway. Editor-in-chief is Janne Johannessen, who was appointed i ...

article said that "The question for the company's largest owner thru minister of trade

Monica Mæland Monica Mæland (born 6 February 1968) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party who served as Minister of Justice from 2020 to 2021. Previously she served as Minister Local Government from 2018 to 2020, and Minister of Trade and Indus ...

( H)—without regard to what

uncovers in its investigation—ought to be whether the government's companies are best served by having committee members that are that irresolute".Lukkede øyne
/ref> A 5 March 2014

editorial said that "The most important question is another one: Why do such cases appear again and again, despite tightened regulations and attitude campaigns? - Is it time to move focus to the manner in which co-workers are rewarded?" An 18 March ''Dagens Næringsliv'' editorial said that "The board of directors of Kongsberg Gruppen permitted the orporation'sleadership to put out of sight—the fact finding report regarding possible corruption—without bothering the leadership with bothersome questions. - The minister of trade must evaluate if this is in line with the zero tolerance, that she is trying to 'make more clear'."Inn på teppet
/ref> In August 2016 the case against KONSGBERG was dropped by Økokrim, thus the company no longer being under suspicion or investigation for corruption. Økokrim decided to prosecute a former employee of the company with charges o
fraud

Cultural sponsoring and controversy

The Kongsberg Group is a main sponsors of the

Kongsberg Jazz Festival Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964. Artists Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...

. In 2018 Andreas Røysum started an online petition on iPetitions demanding the festival organizers to end their cooperation with the Kongsberg Group stating the sponsoring being incompatible with the spirit of the festival.

References

{{Authority control Companies established in 1814 Holding companies of Norway Manufacturing companies of Norway Defence companies of Norway Formerly government-owned companies of Norway Companies based in Buskerud Kongsberg Companies listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange Norwegian brands Norwegian companies established in 1814 Manufacturing companies established in 1814