JOHNSTOWN, USA (TV 2): At the entrance to the production hall in Pennsylvania hangs a picture of a burnt out American military vehicle.
The armored car was hit by two roadside bombs in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan in the summer of 2010.
The special thing about the incident was that all the soldiers on board survived. They did so thanks to the charred remains of a device, which stands next to it: The Norwegian-developed Protector system.
– LIFE-SAVING TECHNOLOGY: The charred remains of the Norwegian-developed weapon tower are on display in the production hall in Johnstown to remind workers how important their product is. Photo: Øystein Bogen, TV 2.
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“I do not have precise figures, but I am sure that the system has saved many thousands of lives,” says factory manager Scott Burk.
Fatal shock wave
Protector was developed by the Norwegian defense manufacturer Kongsberg in the early 2000s. The United States, which at the time was in the midst of bloody wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, quickly took an interest in the remote-controlled weapons platforms.
The American soldiers were constantly exposed to roadside bombs and mines. No matter how well armored their vehicles were, lives were lost every single day.
– It turned out that it was the shock wave from the explosions that took life, explains Burk, who himself served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The shooters, who were exposed to the top of the vehicles, were often the first to die when it slammed. But the deadly shock waves also hit those inside the craft, because the firing hatch was open.
It was here that Kongsberg offered a solution, in the form of a remote-controlled weapon tower with high-resolution cameras.
– Then the operator and the rest of the crew are in a protected environment. This means that if there is an explosion outside or under the car, everyone inside the vehicle will be able to escape it, explains Eirik T. Jensen who is head of Kongsberg’s USA office.
Unknown industrial success
The defense industry rarely seeks media attention, and few – if any – journalists have previously been allowed into the Norwegian-owned factory in the mountains in western Pennsylvania.
Factory manager Scott Burk admits that not many people are aware of this Norwegian industrial success abroad.
– UNKNOWN INDUSTRIAL ADVENTURE: A new robot tower is being tested before it is shipped to the US military. Photo: Øystein Bogen, TV 2.
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– It’s a little secret, because it must be secret. Very few know what we do and that is because we do not talk so loud about it, he says to TV 2.
Since its inception in 2005, Kongsberg has delivered around 17,000 remote-controlled weapon platforms to the US military and had a turnover of at least NOK 30 billion.
– This is a Norwegian jewel, Burk smiles.
– We have 100 percent of the market here in the US.
Rust belt
Although the technology has been developed in Norway, a prerequisite for success in the USA was that Kongsberg built a factory here.
The choice fell on Johnstown, a tired industrial town in Pennsylvania’s so-called rust belt.
After years of cuts in the local steel industry and high unemployment, the mood was high when the Norwegian defense company established itself here.
– We turned wheels of joy. This has been a huge victory for our local community, says the leader of the Johnstown Business Council, Linda Thomson.
Factory manager Burk estimates that the company has so far generated at least 5,000 jobs in the area.
Up to the authorities
Although the United States is now out of Iraq and Afghanistan, orders for new weapons towers are still pouring in.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world has become more dangerous, and the demand for new defense equipment is at a record high.
– UP TO THE AUTHORITIES: Kongsberg is ready to send life-saving Norwegian weapons technology to Ukraine if the Norwegian and American authorities make such a decision, says US chief Eirik T. Jensen. Photo: Øystein Bogen, TV 2.
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Since the war began, the United States alone has sent military equipment worth around $ 10 billion to Ukraine. according to the US State Department.
Kongsberg’s US manager says, however, that it is not currently relevant to send the Norwegian system to Ukraine.
– Such things happen at the government level. If the authorities in the USA and Norway agree that a system produced by us will go to Ukraine, it will happen. But we do not take the initiative ourselves, says Eirik Jensen to TV 2.
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