OSLO, Jan 29 (Reuters) – The Norwegian government said on Thursday it has signed a $2 billion contract to buy long-range artillery systems from South Korean defence group Hanwha Aerospace as the NATO country seeks to boost its deterrence against Russia.
European countries are in the midst of hiking defence spending, under pressure to do so by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and unnerved by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Hanwha Aerospace’s Chunmoo artillery system competed for the Norwegian army contract with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin’s HIMARS.
“Hanwha will deliver launch units and training materials in 2028 and 2029, and missiles in 2030 and 2031,” Norway’s Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement.
Norway, which shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, says the war in Ukraine has shown that long-range artillery is essential on the modern battlefield.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Essi Lehto)
