The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) and Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace have entered into an agreement for upgrades to be incorporated on the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Ula-class diesel-electric submarines to extend their operational lives.
The contract awarded by the NDMA is worth about NOK436 million (US$42 million). The scope of the work includes upgrades to the software and the hardware of the combat system on board each of the submarines.
Kongsberg supplied the combat system to the Ula-class boats and has previously conducted upgrade programs. The company said the latest upgrades will contribute to keep the submarines operational until the new Type 212CD boats are introduced in the 2030s.
Kongsberg will also supply the combat system for each of the six Type 212CD submarines, which will be handed over to the navies of Norway and Germany in the future.
All six of the Ula-class boats were built in Germany by Thyssen Nordseewerke between 1987 and 1992.