The Fridtjof Nansen (F310), the first of five Aegis-equipped ships in the Royal Norwegian Navy's frigate program, was launched on June 3 during ceremonies at the IZAR shipyard in Ferrol, Spain. The frigate is the first ever to incorporate the SPY-1F radar system and marks a significant milestone for the Aegis Integrated Weapon System (IWS) that will provide critical capabilities for the surface fleets of navies around the world.

The Royal Norwegian Navy selected the Lockheed Martin Aegis IWS for its frigate program in 2000. Lockheed Martin's Spanish industry partner, IZAR, is prime contractor for the program and provided the design and construction of the F310 frigate resulting in a revolutionary multi-mission ship.

"The F310 program is a great example of excellence through international partnership that will provide the people of Norway with proven state-of-the- art capabilities at sea," said Fred P. Moosally, president of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors. "The sailors of the Fridtjof Nansen can operate with the confidence that the SPY-1F and Integrated Weapons System are ready for all missions."

Lockheed Martin's responsibilities on the F310 program include the entire IWS encompassing all sensors, weapons, software development, communications, and navigation. The IWS includes elements from a broad range of domestic and international suppliers, including a major effort by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (KDA) of Kongsberg, Norway. The system is based on the Aegis Weapon System, originally developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy. The SPY-1F multi-function radar is a scaled version of Lockheed Martin's AN/SPY-1D radar, which is the most advanced naval surveillance, anti-air warfare and missile defense radar in the world.

The Aegis system enables surface fleets to engage threats from over, under and on the sea and is currently deployed on 74 ships around the world, with 33 more ships planned. In addition to the U.S. and Norwegian navies, Aegis is aboard Japanese and Spanish warships and the Republic of Korea recently selected Aegis for its newest class of destroyers.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin