Norway seeks air defence radars

Norway requires new surface-based air defence radars to defend static infrastructure such as military air bases, semi-mobile assets such as command posts, and manoeuvrable ground forces. 

A request for information (RFI), launched by the country on the Mercell procurement platform on 24 July, says that Norway is specifically seeking insight on short range and very short range radar market availability.  

The exact distances that “short range” and “very short range” encompass are not defined in the RFI, and there is no generally accepted standard for these measurements.  

The RFI falls under Norway’s ‘Project 1215’, an initiative focused on acquiring a mixture of active and passive sensors. It also aligns with Norway's annual defence materiel equipment plan, released in February, which highlights command and control, communications, information, and battle management systems as one of its investment priorities.  

What are Norway’s requirements for the radars?   

According to Norway, both the short range and very short range radars "should be effective" against threats such as cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft, loitering munitions, and UASs, among others.  

Additionally, the radars must be capable of detecting threats at both high and low altitudes, as well as terrain-masked threats that can execute short-range pop-ups.  

All radars submitted in the RFI must be at a technological readiness level of eight or above. 

Replying to the RFI 

The deadline for submitting responses to the RFI is 4 September.  

As Project 1215 is currently in a “pre-planning phase”, Norway has not yet confirmed “the required balance” between radar performance and cost. Therefore, companies replying to the RFI are encouraged to list all available – or soon to be available – radars that fit the outlined requirements.  

Procurements of the radars are expected to begin in 2027, with deliveries anticipated for 2030.  

The country emphasises that it is yet to be confirmed whether an eventual purchase of radars will require both range options to be delivered by the same vendor.