Sky Defenders (2026) Movie Script
1
[deep whooshing]
[deep rumble]
[birds chirping]
[engine rumbling]
[birds chirping]
[man] So if you picture an
early, uh... uh, crisp morning...
[suspenseful music]
and, uh, suddenly, you know,
the seagulls are
suddenly disturbed
by a really strange sound.
And that sound can come from
what we call air-breathing targets...
[siren blaring]
more specifically, cruise missiles.
[missile hissing]
[narrator] When the sirens
sound, every second stretches.
They, unfortunately, seldom travel alone,
and they represent
a very likely early threat.
[missile hissing]
[narrator] People run, pray,
- [inaudible]
wait for the impact.
That may never come.
Because high above the city,
an invisible shield
is already awake, searching,
- [machine whirring]
tracking, intercepting.
Those radars will,
in a couple of seconds,
they will track the... and... and
scan the whole airspace.
[narrator]
It's a machine that exists
so that others can sleep.
Within a few milliseconds, those tracks,
they are identified.
- [monitor beeping]
[narrator]
Built not for conquest,
but for protection.
Then the track data is
sent to the launchers.
[narrator] Not to win wars,
but to stop them from beginning.
[officer] Track, one,
five, two, four, firing.
Rocket motor will ignite.
[missile rumbling]
[music intensifies]
And then the missile will
fly out of the launcher,
pass, uh, speed of sound.
And then you can observe the impact.
[narrator] It's called NASAMS,
the National Advanced
Surface-to-Air Missile System.
[man 2]
We have many important objects
and areas that need to be defended,
and the NASAMS system is the...
The backbone of that, uh, defense system.
[narrator]
A system born of necessity,
shaped by collaboration,
and tested in the most brutal of labs,
war itself.
- [missile roaring]
[man 3]
If you fly an offensive mission
within, inside the NASAMS coverage area,
I mean, are you suicidal?
Because it's so dangerous,
you won't survive that.
[narrator] From a small nation
on the edge of Europe
came a simple idea,
- [missiles hissing and roaring]
that technology can buy time,
and time saves lives.
[music swells]
Uh, you can't win a war with
a NASAMS-type capability,
but you will definitely lose without.
[sirens blaring]
[muffled rumble]
[music fading]
[sirens fading]
[narrator] The story of NASAMS
has roots back to the 1940s,
as Hitler's German forces
marched through the fjords.
[man] The war did actually come
to Norway, and specifically
- the geostrategic location
of Norway - [plane buzzing]
was very valuable to the Germans.
On the one hand side,
to secure oil imports
from Sweden and Norway via the ports,
as well as having that... those
sort of basing options in the ports,
Norwegian ports, in order
to have the Kriegsmarine,
the German navy, operate from there.
- [narrator] Norway fell in
weeks, - [loud rumble]
an independent
nation under foreign boots.
[man speaking German in recording]
The occupation cut deep,
a wound that left a deep scar.
[Christoph]
So as part of the occupation,
there was of course violent repression
against the, uh, civilian
population of Norway,
and as in any occupied territory,
Germany also tried to exploit
the resources and the industry,
uh, that Norway had in order to
manufacture goods and weapons.
[missile falls, then explodes]
[faint chatter]
[man 2] Uh, my hometown was
bombed during World War II.
There was a couple of hours, four hours,
60% of all...
Of all the buildings
were flattened, 70 metric tons
by the Luftwaffe at the...
At the time.
[airplane hovering]
We know that it doesn't really work,
uh, to bomb civilian population.
You will not break their spirit.
[vintage music]
[man on recording]
Bread and sausages confiscated
from German military stores.
- [inaudible]
A treat for Norwegian children,
whose land for five long years
had been occupied and systematically
pillaged by the Germans.
[narrator]
Norwegians learned that
freedom cannot be outsourced.
- [crowd roaring]
It must be built, engineered
and defended.
[man] The Second World War left
quite a mark in Norway,
in terms of preparedness and
readiness for, uh, a conflict
that is, uh, imposed on the country,
rather than being, uh,
a sort of a... a war of choice.
The proximity nowadays
with Russia, of course,
and being in, sort of the... the
northern-western edge, uh,
with the strategic location that it has,
uh, of course, makes it, um,
very important for the country
to prepare itself for any eventuality.
[bright music]
- [faint cheering]
[narrator] That resolve became
a national instinct.
A nation once occupied became a nation
that would never be
caught unprepared again.
[dramatic music]
This is where the story of
Norwegian innovation begins.
Not with weapons, but with will.
This is where the story of NASAMS begins.
[inaudible]
[pensive music]
[film whirring]
The Second World War changed everything.
For the first time, the sky
was the battleground.
[Christoph] Now, the history of
air defense goes, arguably, back
to the 19th century,
uh, the American Civil War,
and even during
the Franco-Prussian War in 1870,
there were artillery guns that
had been repurposed to shoot
at observation balloons.
- [faint explosion]
But it really only picks off
with the First World War,
where the aircraft is then exploited
as a real military tool,
- [heavy gunfire]
and there are machine guns
up to, again, artillery guns,
have been repurposed to combat
these aircraft at various altitudes.
- [explosion] - [narrator]
Cities burned from above,
and the defenders could only fire
blindly into the dark skies.
From that desperation
came the first radar,
and the realization that seeing
was as important as shooting.
- [machinery rattling]
[Christoph]
You also have radar gun laying
to increase the accuracy of guns,
especially at higher altitudes,
that shoot at higher altitudes,
and, uh, can act then also at night,
where visual tracking of
aircraft is, of course, impossible.
[dramatic music]
[narrator] Fast forward to 1967,
when the Six-Day War
proved the lesson again.
[airplane hovering]
Without air defense, an air
force can vanish in hours.
The shock rippled through NATO.
[airplane hovering]
Airfields once thought secure
were shown to be targets, not shelters.
[Vidar] It was the same wake-up
call as in 1967.
Same wake-up call then.
Israelis managed
to then completely destroy
the Egyptian and the Jordanian air force,
so that was a big wake-up call.
"Oh, we need air... air defense
over our airports. Ah!"
[music intensifies]
[Christoph] As we then progress
into the Cold War,
there is the...
Of course, the onset
of the missile age,
and missiles were used as air defense
in order to increase the probability
of a kill on a s...
A single shot,
as well as to act against
higher altitudes.
[narrator] Norwegian commanders
saw it clearly.
To survive an attack, their runways
had to survive the first strike.
Every nation dreams of
an impenetrable sky.
In truth, air defense is a balance.
Long-range systems see far, but
are big, heavy and expensive.
Short-range systems react fast,
but see little.
Between them lies the gap,
the space where most attacks occur.
That meant building a new kind of shield,
one that was agile,
intelligent and their own.
That's where the idea of NASAMS began.
It would be a living network of radars,
missiles and decision-makers.
The bridge between fighter jets
above and soldiers below.
Vulnerability was a choice
Norway would never make again.
[crowd cheering]
Out of that defiance,
they began to architect
an intelligent defense system
from the ground up.
[music fades]
[seagulls squawking]
[intriguing music]
In a quiet seaside town in Norway,
a small group of engineers
set out to build it.
It's a unique system.
And what's special is that, uh,
it started here in Stavanger.
[narrator] In Stavanger,
Norway's old air defense school
became a workshop for the future.
In the 1980s, Norway had
a homegrown air defense system
called Norwegian-adapted HAWK.
It was the best they had.
The HAWK system was an old system,
so it wasn't... wasn't going
to live for... forever.
Everything was planned on
the Norwegian-adapted HAWK,
the NOAH system.
And we thought, we...
Well, we thought
it was a very effective system.
We've used it, fired it and we wanted to
put it on our main
six tactical airfields,
which we really wanted to
protect as a priority one.
[narrator]
However, HAWK's main flaw
was limited engagement capability.
[Arne]
The high-power illuminator,
which we... we used to
illuminate the target,
and the missile followed
the, uh, radar beam.
That's why t... why it's called
HAWK, Homing All The Way Target.
So we had to have the radar
to follow the target
all the time until you hit it.
And you also had
acquisition radar to... to
find the... the target
in the first place.
[narrator]
Norway's air force officers
and young engineers
pored over the NOAH system
to find a better solution.
[Svein] The original HAWK system, they...
They needed a lot of
men and... and vehicles.
And, then, uh...
it was very expensive to... to...
To operate and to move around.
[narrator]
HAWK could see and shoot,
but it couldn't think for itself.
It had limitations.
[Svein]
We, uh, needed a system
where we could, uh, put, uh, a...
All... all the units
on... on the same,
uh, air picture,
distributing, uh,
from one radar to another,
which was not possible in...
In the HAWK system.
[film whirring]
[narrator] Norway needed
something smaller,
faster, smarter.
And for a nation too small
to outspend its rivals,
there was only one path forward.
Innovate or disappear.
[seagulls squawking]
Enter Lieutenant Colonel
Jan Reidar Hovland,
an engineer in uniform, part soldier,
part scientist, part stubborn Norwegian.
He was a visionary, he had
ideas, and... and he worked hard.
One of these meeting,
in early... late '88,
an engineer sitting on...
On my right hand,
and he listened, he didn't say much.
[narrator] At this meeting,
Hovland offered an idea
so audacious, it instantly
changed everything.
But the need for a more
advanced system was undeniable.
[man] They needed something
else, they needed to in...
Disrupt how air defense was
done, uh, in the past.
So we needed some, what you call
it, a fire-and-forget system,
that was, uh, easier, uh,
to... to field
in different, uh, topologies.
[engine hissing]
- [interesting music]
[narrator] At the time,
the Norwegian Air Force
had just taken delivery
of F-16 fighter jets.
[Olav] The basic thing had been
to get the airborne AMRAAM
for our new F-16 aircraft
And [stammers] we had
wanted it... for a long time.
[narrator] Then Hovland pitched
his idea to the group.
And he said, "Why don't you
put new AMRAAM missiles"
into the NOAH launchers?"
[Arne]
And nobody knew tha... if...
If it was possible
to launch it from the ground.
The rest of the people
around the table, they...
They didn't quite know what
he was talking about.
[Arne] He had done some calcu...
Calculations, and, uh...
he believed that, uh,
it would be possible.
[engine hissing]
[narrator] His logic
was simple and genius.
Why reinvent a missile
that already works?
Just change the way we launch it.
Many others were skeptical.
I looked at the chief of defense,
and we looked at each other.
We asked the question,
"If you can fire it from a plane"
and hit another plane,
why can't you fire it from ground
"and hit another plane?"
And then and there we saw, this is...
a really fantastic idea.
That has never been done before.
He was a visionary man to come up
with this idea back in '82, '83.
[narrator] The AMRAAM missile
utilization was genius.
[Svein]
You can point the canister
at the target, fire,
- [missile hissing]
and then forget
and go to another target.
Because the...
The missile itself
will do the rest of the job.
It's pretty cool.
[Arne] A system that could fire fi...
Up to 54... missiles
in about 10 seconds
against 54 different targets.
So the firepower is amazing.
Yeah, it's very cool.
[chuckles]
[narrator]
Critics called it impossible.
[missile hissing]
- [launch blast]
Hovland called it efficient,
and he had the data to prove it.
He was a pilot, he knew,
I knew immediately.
And we thought, "This is...
This is the future."
[Arne] The first launch was in 1993,
and that was, uh, successful.
But the... just the idea, for me,
that was a... a revelation.
[narrator] A NASAMS fire unit
is more than a missile system.
It's a network that thinks.
Each fire unit is made up
of three launchers, a radar,
and a fire distribution center,
referred to as FDC.
With the FDC being the brain of the unit.
But what makes it powerful
isn't just precision, it's flexibility.
What is special about the NASAMS system
is that it has an architecture
which is kind of unique.
[narrator] Every element,
launcher, radar,
command post, can be separated,
miles apart, and still linked
by encrypted radio.
They see the same sky,
share the same picture,
and react as one.
Everything will be, uh, detected
by the C2 system,
so they will know exactly
which missile is where.
[narrator]
The radar scans the horizon,
- [radar beeping] - Tracking threats
across hundreds of kilometers.
It feeds data to the FDC,
where two operators watch tracks appear.
A hostile aircraft,
a cruise missile, a drone.
The system provides critical information
about how to engage the threat.
Examples of, uh, engagement
critical information,
uh, when the system suggests
you should engage now,
and you should... you should
engage with this firing doctrine.
[narrator] The operator makes a decision.
- [machine whirring]
Each launcher holds six AMRAAM missiles.
[missile hissing]
- Supersonic,
radar-guided, battle-proven.
When fired, they leave
the ground at Mach 4.
[Carsten] Today we have a system
that can be distributed
over a huge area,
making it hard to detect.
[narrator] The unique benefit
of the system is its ability
to help the air defender
with information.
- [Carsten] So what we do is that we
filter that information, - [inaudible]
or that decision
support part in the FDC filter
that information
into what is time-critical
and engagement-critical.
[narrator]
A defense grid that moves
with the battle not behind it.
[dramatic music]
[music fades]
[bell tolling in distance]
Kongsberg has always built
things that matter.
For centuries, this small town
has lived at the edge of necessity.
Once a silver mine,
then a gunmaker's forge,
now a hub of global defense
and technology.
It's Norway's oldest military town,
and still one of its most inventive.
[birds chirping]
The same hands that once forged rifles,
now design systems that
think for themselves.
Kongsberg City, uh, we a...
Also call the company Kongsberg,
but it's... [chuckles] it's...
It's a city called Kongsberg City.
And... and, uh, I would say it's
a small... it's a small town,
you know, we are close to
30,000 people here.
[birds chirping]
[narrator] By the early 1980s,
Norway had learned a hard lesson.
When crisis strikes, you cannot rely
on others to arm your defense.
The philosophy Hovland
helped spark, ignited here.
Kongsberg became the forge where
his idea was shaped into reality.
Today, the heartbeat of NASAMS
echoes through these halls.
The clang of steel, the glow of
code, the precision of trust.
[distant clanking]
[Carsten] When the NASAMS
system is in combat,
then nothing can go wrong.
- [inaudible]
You need to be able to trust the system.
[faint clanking]
There is a lot of, uh, attention
to detail in the production area.
We have examples of launchers,
single launchers,
that's fired more than...
Way more than 100 missiles
without any serious maintenance.
And in order to, uh... uh,
a launcher to actually handle that,
everything has to be really
accurate and really robust.
Currently, they are producing launchers
for multiple different nations.
They are quite busy.
All the... the teams in, uh...
In the production lines
and design areas and everywhere,
they're all aware of what
the NASAMS system is capable of.
And also what it's doing,
what kind of difference
it's making in Ukraine as we speak.
[tools rattling]
[narrator] At the factory,
a father and daughter
work side by side.
- [inaudible]
He on the launchers, she on the software.
[bright, upbeat music]
I've been working on modernizing
the UI for the users,
so it's simpler and easier
to interact with.
[man] I've been working with
the software on NASAMS since
the first firings in '91.
Developing the system
from the HAWK system
to the modern NASAMS system.
[Heidi] So we see the missile
fly out here.
So right now we're at the
training facilities at Kongsberg.
- [speaking faintly]
This is what we call the academy
and this is the training room.
So we have four FTCs that the students
can practice working as a
full battalion in NASAMS.
- [speaking faintly]
And we can control everything
from one station,
so it's easier for us to teach
them how to use NASAMS.
Blue now, but if you do the other
track symbols standard, they'll be green.
- [mouse clicks]
So today, uh, Lars and I, we have done
a small update on the software.
So we're just checking to make
sure that everyone...
Everything's okay
and that they're working to...
Good together.
And just fine-tuning if there's anything
we see and taking notes.
[Lars] Much better than the
previous versions.
And we can see we have full
control over all our battalion.
I'm actually third-generation
Kongsberg employee
on my mom's side.
Because my granddad on my
mom's side also worked here.
Firing three targets.
- [mouse clicks]
[Lars] I've been here for 40 years now.
So...
And that's not, uh, that special.
It's a lot of my colleagues
that's been here
since the early 80s.
- Away on four bogies.
- [narrator] It's two generations
with one mission. - [faint dialogue]
[Heidi] So, right now, it's
high probability of a...
And what we've seen now...
in Ukraine
makes it even more important...
to stay focused and to keep on trying
to make the best system you can for...
the people out there
fighting for their freedom.
I think a lot of people want
to take pride in their work.
- They want to do a good job when
they do something. - [indistinct]
They see the system and they see
how much of an impact it could do.
- [indistinct]
And... they really just
want to make
the best system possible.
[speaking foreign language]
[keyboard clacking]
[narrator] Because in Kongsberg,
defense isn't about war.
It's about responsibility.
The knowledge that
what they build here is
protecting lives far beyond
these mountains.
[suspenseful music]
[Heidi] It feels special.
It's a very special feeling to
be able to say...
that I contributed
to saving lives and I
contributed to making the...
people of Ukraine more safe at home.
And...
it feels like all the work
that you put in,
it's... it's worth it.
[inaudible]
- And you suddenly want
to make it even better.
Because... there's always room
for improvement.
[music continues]
[Lars] It's... it's been my...
occupation for
40 years and I'm very proud.
And I've been a central part of
it for many years, designing it.
So... I'm proud of it.
The system that my dad
spent my whole childhood making
actually works in the
world and... can...
help people.
- [inaudible] - And I'm glad
to be a part of it myself.
[faint chatter]
[Lars]
You get really proud and...
it's, uh...
- [faint chatter]
it's not easy to talk about.
It's, uh... it's been a life...
Life's work and...
seeing that it's, uh...
Makes me emotional.
[solemn music]
[Vidar] It's more than a job,
it's like a... a lifestyle.
When you come here, immediately
you get caught into the culture.
You get caught in... into that
cultural spil... spirit that we have.
And that is... is a
competitive advantage.
[conversations in foreign language]
[narrator]
To carry that vision further,
Kongsberg needed a partner
across the Atlantic.
An alliance to marry Norwegian
command and control
with American radar and missiles.
Turning a local idea
into a global system.
[bell tolling]
[music fades]
- [birds chirping]
By the mid-80s, Kongsberg's
idea had outgrown Norway.
Hovland's concept was ready,
but to make it real,
they needed power, reach and radar.
That's where Raytheon came in.
[man] The relationship goes
back over 50 years.
And it's... it's just
been remarkable
in terms of the partnership that we've...
We've had, uh, you know, with Kongsberg.
[narrator] The Americans had
just built the AMRAAM,
a missile that could think for itself.
Hovland saw a new possibility.
[Tom] We needed, uh, a much more
modern, network-centric
kind of, uh... of system and
a real open architecture.
So we... we'd have
the ability to integrate,
uh, additional sensors
like the Sentinel radar
that's used today.
[narrator] It was the perfect
blend of American muscle
and Norwegian ingenuity.
[Tom] It's an active missile, so...
- [deep rumble]
essentially we use NASAMS, uh,
to guide the missile to...
uh, a point close enough to the threat.
And then once AMRAAM
is close enough to the threat
and actually locks on
with its own seeker,
it's essentially able to...
To do the rest of the mission itself.
[heroic music]
[narrator] Together, they form
a single organism.
Radar sees, code thinks, missile acts.
A ballet of algorithms and air pressure.
And soon it would protect the
most guarded airspace on Earth.
[loud explosion]
[Bush] Good evening.
Today our fellow citizens,
our way of life,
our very freedom came under attack
in a series of deliberate
and deadly terrorist acts.
[narrator] In the shadow
of 9/11, America learned
that security could never
again be assumed.
[Christoph] After 9/11, there
was a shock moment in
the United States and globally
of... of these attacks.
And plans were put in place to prevent
something like this happening again.
[narrator]
After September 11th, 2001,
the sky became a constant responsibility.
Under Operation Noble Eagle,
NORAD stood watch over the homeland.
[suspenseful music]
But above Washington, D.C.,
vigilance wasn't enough.
NORAD needed a system, ready now,
ready to protect the capital.
[man] So the air defense community
and the U.S. government
really went out to look
for what is...
What is ready now.
Uh, not 10, 15 years,
but what is ready now.
And that ready now question
was answered with NASAMS.
[narrator]
Here, in a discreet location
in Washington, D.C., sits one
of the NASAMS launchers.
Hey Specialist Farmer, how are you?
- Good morning sir, how are you?
I'm good. Uh...
How is everything going?
Everything's going quite well, sir.
[narrator]
Operated by the U.S. Army,
it stands silent, ready.
- [faint chatter]
[heroic music]
[officer] So, we perform, uh, air
defense in the National Capital Region.
Uh, the NASAMS system, or
- [inaudible]
No... uh, Norwegian Advanced
Surface-to-Air Missile System,
is a part of a...
A layered defense that we have here.
It's platforms and sensors,
uh, that we use throughout the region.
[narrator] Most of the people
living and working nearby
have no idea the firepower standing guard
just beyond their streets.
[Anthony] Uh, this is a...
uh, hidden-in-plain-sight
type of mission that we have here.
[Farmer] Yeah, it's... it's
pretty well hidden away.
Uh, we try not to, uh,
draw attention to it as much as we can.
It's a... a vital part of what
we do here
in regards to our layered defense,
uh, here in the National Capital Region.
[narrator] When the call came for
a new layer of protection around
the nation's capital,
it was a Norwegian system that answered.
[Carsten] They ended up, uh,
talking to the Norwegian Air Force.
And the Norwegian Air Force,
they decided to sell or to give, uh...
some NASAMS com...
Components to the U.S.
[narrator]
When the decision was made,
there were no announcements,
no itineraries,
no names on doors,
only silence and trust.
This was so secret,
so it was even hard to know
where to travel to the U.S.,
because nothing was shared, uh, with us.
So we have examples of our
engineers being met at the airport,
signing, uh, deeds of confidentiality,
and then, uh, blindfolded on their way
to the integration site
in the U.S.
[narrator] For the first time,
a foreign-made defense system
became part of
America's homeland protection.
And the U.S. has been
so satisfied
with protecting the National Capital
Region with NASAMS as their core,
that they haven't changed it.
- [helicopters whirring]
[narrator]
NASAMS had proven its worth.
[Tom] But you also have to think
about the complexity of...
a metropolitan area that has
at least two major airports,
uh, that you've got to, uh,
you know, kinda deal with...
With that complexity
as well as you're, you know,
doing the defensive mission.
[narrator]
Chosen in a moment of crisis
and trusted ever since,
- NASAMS still stands
silent guard - [indistinct]
over Washington, D.C.
today on mission.
[Anthony] We're always here,
uh, no matter
what's happening,
y... you know,
morning, noon, night.
There's soldiers available
to perform air defense
and to protect the skies over
the National Capital Region.
We'll open up our launcher control panel.
As a NASAMS operator, my primary role is
to do basic maintenance
- [indistinct]
on the weapon system itself.
This is reloaded.
[Anthony] The amount
of training that soldiers,
uh, perform on this system,
- [inaudible]
but on this mission alone,
is, uh, very daunting.
And they... and most, uh,
soldiers and...
And units come in here
with a lot of, uh, passion,
uh, for what they do.
[Calvin] So, looking at the
exterior of the launcher,
hydraulics look good.
I do... I... I very much
enjoy being able to
come to work every day and...
give everyone a peace of mind that
we're protecting our
National Capital Region.
We need to put those on
the maintenance log.
This is, uh,
what I feel like my life has...
Has... has brought me to.
Uh, I've always been a
big fan of the... of the 204th.
I've always loved my 204th family.
We're one of the best
air defense battalions
in the entire U.S. Army.
[inspiring music]
[Anthony] My favorite part
about this mission is that
it's very pure in regards to
what you do every day.
There's no question of what
you do when you wake up
in the morning and... and what
you're trying to get after
and what you're protecting.
[music fades]
[suspenseful music]
[narrator]
At the edge of the Arctic,
where ocean meets cloud, lies Andya.
A place where nations come
to see belief made real.
[man] We're now witnessing,
or are going to witness,
uh, the live firing of the
Norwegian, uh, NOMADS system,
uh, some U.S. Army, uh,
Stinger systems,
and also the Norwegian Army
NASAMS system.
Training objectives for this exercise
is a verification of the weapon system...
[Bjorn] It's part of a large
exercise that involves both,
uh, ship-based air defense
and land-based air defense
[indistinct]
- That is going to be
facing a threat of drones
that will be flying from the
ocean towards,
uh, where we stand.
So it's going to be an exciting day.
[man 2] Uh, we often have
a large... larger teams.
And we have our own, uh,
communication teams.
Uh, the... these
types of exercises
with live firing is, uh, crucial
to actually testing the system,
uh, on all levels.
And, uh, also being, uh...
Being members of an...
The alliance,
uh, to be able to work together
with our nations,
uh, integrate the systems,
uh, working together
to... towards, uh...
Towards a common threat.
[man 2] Uh, the fire unit team.
Uh, the fire unit team...
[man 3] Well, we're here to...
'cause we bought the same systems.
[inaudible]
- Uh, we will receive them
at the... the end of 2027, 2028.
So we are here to see the live firing,
'cause we...
We bought the systems,
but we've never actually
done the live firing.
The plan is to reload the NOMADS
and reset for the scenario
that we waited for...
For so long yesterday.
And we waited a bit more.
And we will see now
if they can get NASAMS
into action together with NOMADS
and also supported
by U.S. Stingers.
So that's the plan for today.
Don't jinx it now.
Throw it away!
[intriguing music]
[faint chatter]
So we have multiple bandits inbound...
bound for, uh, for an attack.
[woman] Stand by, NASAMS.
[man] Standing by for NASAMS.
- [overlapping voices]
NASAMS... And fire away!
- [overlapping voices]
[deep rumble]
- [music increases]
[narrator] Each year, beneath
the low northern sun,
missiles rise through the cold air
like promises tested by fire.
Gravity is the judge.
Precision, the prayer.
For Kongsberg, it's more than a test.
It's theater.
[music increases]
A stage where Norway's invention
performs before the world.
[missile roars]
[music fades]
We're today in 15 countries.
There's a high number of nations
really interested in NASAMS now,
because they see how, uh,
NASAMS actually perform
in, uh, international scenario
and how it actually performs in war.
[inaudible]
[narrator] Invited delegates
from across continents
stand in the freezing temperatures,
eyes fixed, hearts quickened.
[man] Since the last
few years, uh, with, uh...
Uh, what is happening in the world,
you see that people are more
aware that air defense
is an important part of
army, uh, operations.
[officer] And my job is a, uh...
[Frank] The... the people that are the
closest to the Netherlands people,
- [inaudible] - To the Dutch
people, uh, are the Norwegians.
In the culture, in the way we are,
in the way we conduct, uh, operations,
but also in the way we, uh, interconnect.
So it's always good to
be in Norway because
it feels a little bit like home,
only a little bit colder.
[indistinct chattering]
[narrator] They feel the tension
before they see it.
[Bjorn]
It's... it's exhilarating.
As an air defender,
for the whole of my life, eh...
[inaudible]
- it's... it's this that we...
That we look forward to,
because it... it is...
It is actually a...
- [inaudible]
confirmation that the system works.
[distant explosion]
- [crowd exclaiming]
[indistinct chatter]
- [scattered clapping]
[narrator] Kongsberg's Vice
President, Vidar Skjelstad,
hosts them quietly.
So targets at IP for Striker,
and this is gonna...
[narrator] Offering not
just data, but trust.
Every streak of flame
says the same thing.
This works.
- [rattling]
[missile hissing]
[pensive music]
[seagulls squawking]
- [Vidar] Uh...
At 1:30? 1:30 in the morning?
- [man speaks indistinctly]
NASAMS live function is always
like an experience.
It never gets old.
It's like a new thing.
You learn something new
and it's fantastic to see
the weapon system in action all the time.
And also the excitement
it creates by our guests, yeah?
So it's like a great, great time
for us, every time.
[distant missile hissing]
[narrator] Andya is no longer
a proving ground.
It's a symbol where technology
becomes diplomacy...
[muffled explosion]
and engineering becomes confidence.
[Bjorn] It's also being used in Ukraine,
as you well know, to great success.
And it's proven to be one of the
best systems in its class.
So yes, I'm proud to...
To be a Norwegian and to have operated
this system for so many years
and to see it today.
[music increasing]
[narrator]
From this frozen runway,
Norway's small creation took flight,
across borders, into the hands
of those who believed.
[gentle guitar music]
Spain's chapter in the NASAMS
story begins quietly.
Not in crisis, not in panic,
but in foresight.
NASAMS, eh, has proven its reliability
during over these years.
And a proof of that is
that Spain is going to...
To acquire five more batteries.
[faint whirring]
[man] NASAMS is one of our
greatest acquisitions of all time.
[clanking]
We've been working with
NASAMS for 20 years now.
And we really enjoy that,
and see that which is
an effective way of
defending our country.
[narrator] Spain was the first
to take NASAMS beyond Norway,
the first to let it breathe
on foreign soil.
[Oscar] Spain acquired NASAMS in 2003.
[pole squeaking]
[Ivan] Well, right now the...
Our crew are...
They are setting the radar.
They are preparing it to...
To start the...
The rotation, whenever it's necessary.
[gentle guitar music]
[Oscar] NASAMS fits, eh,
perfectly in Spanish doctrine.
It gives us very good
medium range system.
It also gives us the
capability to be integrated
in the NATO air and
missile defense system.
[soft whirring]
[narrator]
NATO is built on one principle,
collective defense.
A threat to one is a concern for all.
We could have, eh, some problems or...
some attacks in our own country,
we all know that.
But the thing is, right now
how collectively we work
all together and if, eh,
we have some NASAMS,
some batteries which we can, eh,
use them in deterrence and
protection in our allies,
that's what we are doing.
So it's... it's,
eh, crucial for...
For the whole unity of NATO
to be able to be deployed
wherever it's required.
[upbeat music]
[narrator] And now, under
the blue flag of NATO,
Spain's NASAMS stands in Latvia.
[man] It allows us to contribute
to the deterrence effort
on the eastern flag of NATO.
- [man translating to foreign language]
[narrator] A quiet Spanish
presence protecting
a distant European sky.
[Oscar] ...were deployed
in Latvia in 2022.
And this was because Latvia,
eh, doesn't have
eh, a medium-range system by itself.
So they asked the allies
to go there and protect
the... their skies.
[speaking Spanish]
[narrator]
Confidence here isn't loud.
It doesn't need to be.
It sits quietly behind a screen,
waiting for whatever dares to test it.
[Ivan] We work a lot with
people from the air,
with, eh, pilots, and they
are always scared.
[Oscar] Because the Sentinel
radar has very low emitting,
so the fighters
cannot, eh, detect it... it.
[Ivan] That's, eh, something we
ha... they all have in common,
they are always scared to
do some exercise with us
because they know, eh,
we always fighting first
before they... they could
engage to us.
[narrator]
It was born elsewhere.
But above Spain, it found its purpose.
[Ivan] I'd say NASAMS is the thing that
allows us to be... to live
freely in our country.
[Oscar] If you don't have
the air superiority,
you... you cannot protect
your country.
Everything will collapse.
[speaking Spanish]
You cannot be
confident, uh, in the street
if you don't have your sky protected.
[inaudible]
- Eh, daily basis, you...
You couldn't do it.
[music fades]
[crickets chirping]
[deep rumble]
[narrator] In Australia, defense
is a question of distance.
A country almost as big
as the United States.
To protect it isn't about building walls.
It's about reach.
How far you can see.
How fast you can move.
And of course, as you'll see,
Australians didn't just take
the system as is.
They put their own mark on it.
[man] NASAMS is the Army's
answer to air threats.
There's approximately
13 user nations in the world.
Australia, obviously, is now one of them.
And, uh, we're certainly
leading the charge,
uh, in terms of our capability
and developing that.
[soft whirring]
[narrator] Today, in the heart
of the outback,
a new NASAMS unit prepares
for its first live test.
Years of planning lead to this moment.
Not just to fire a missile,
but to prove a point.
- [indistinct chatter]
That Australia can defend its own sky.
[man 2] As the commander of the
10th Brigade and a serviceman
of 30 years service, I have...
rarely, if ever, seen a capability
for both our long-range fires and our,
uh, ground-based air defense,
uh, accelerate so quickly.
This will be the first time
occurrence for us.
This is a big step up from
the previous equipment
that we had for air defense.
- [indistinct chatter]
And it'll be a first proof
of it actually working
that everyone's pretty quite keen for.
[pensive, guitar music]
Just, I guess, excitement and,
yeah, just raring to go,
getting the missiles loaded up.
[officer] Hold still.
[narrator]
Here, mobility is everything.
That's why Australia chose
a uniquely practical solution.
[missile hisses and roars]
A high-mobility launcher
on the back of a ute.
[chuckles]
That was really,
really, really exciting, um...
That is probably a highlight
of my career so far.
[music fades]
[backing up beeping]
[narrator]
Missiles on a farm truck.
Unlikely, perhaps.
Unmistakably Australian.
[indistinct shouting]
[Cooper]
This vehicle is highly capable.
It can move into an area, set up,
engage and move out rapidly.
[faint chattering]
- [engine rumbling]
[narrator] In Australia,
NASAMS gives wings
to a missile made for flight.
Reborn for the ground.
[Nick] The missile itself is an
extremely capable missile
and it complements the
arsenal of the other missiles
that we will employ,
uh, with this system.
[narrator]
Instead of importing site,
Australia chose its own.
A radar developed by
an Australian company
that already serves the Navy
and the wider ADF
now powers NASAMS.
Proof of the system's true adaptability.
We're having a... an amazing
amount of success
utilizing that system.
It is actually best placed to provide
that killing ability for the launchers.
[narrator] And as the desert
stretches beyond the horizon,
the doctrine is clear.
Don't wait for the battle.
Take the shield to it.
Because of its distances, the
Australian Defence Forces
would plan to fight
forward so they would,
uh, in any kind of war,
you would expect to see
ADF forces forward in,
let's say, the Philippines, New Guinea.
And those forward forces would also need,
uh, defenses to cover them.
So, for example, NASAMS
would be potentially ideal
for covering, uh, forward
airbases or army formations
from its cruise missile attack.
[intriguing music]
- [faint chatter]
[inaudible]
The purpose of this
live fire is to show that
we can do a ripple fire between
two different systems.
So there's a little bit
of complexity noting that
this is the first of its first.
[soldier speaks indistinctly
over radio] ...over.
[soldier 2] Target airborne.
- [soldier 3] Target airborne!
[missiles hissing]
[narrator] In a nation this big,
versatility is not a luxury.
It's survival.
That's why this system matters.
Multiple missile types, multiple roles,
shared across the air force
and ground defense.
And that changes everything.
- [indistinct chatter]
[Justin] The benefits, of
course, of something like NASAMS
is that... that it's got that
commonality of munitions
so you... you're not investing
in a stockpile of munitions
that has no other utility.
And also because it's
a... a pretty light,
pretty mobile system,
it can do both static defense
and defensive mobile formations
forward so you've got
that kind of multiple utility,
um, which in some ways helps
to hedge against the
difficulty of trying to cover
all your bases with a finite
number of people
and... and a finite
number of dollars.
[narrator]
Flexible, mobile, multirole.
In a country where nothing is close...
[music swells into loud rumble]
that might be the most
powerful weapon of all.
[speaking Russian]
[distant gunshot]
[man speaks Russian]
[constant gunfire]
[somber music]
[narrator] When Russian forces
invaded in February 2022,
Ukraine's skies were undefended.
[indistinct shouting]
[loud explosion]
[explosion]
- [agonizing shout]
Russian missiles and
drones fell like rain,
turning cities into targets.
This building was hit with...
With a few...
Kalibrs cruise missiles.
Now, those people were outside
because it wasn't so precise,
so a few missiles hit it
on the... in this city,
one hit it in the parking lot here.
A lot of people died in
this medical clinic.
Very important to have enough
modern air defense systems
with enough munition for them.
[narrator] NASAMS quickly earned
a reputation across Ukraine
as a reliable defense system.
[speaking foreign language]
[narrator] When Ukraine
first received NASAMS
in November 2022, it was a lifeline.
[missile hissing]
[man speaking foreign language]
[missiles hissing]
Ukraine realized that
if you don't have adequate
air defense, you will lose this battle.
[Vidar] I never dreamt that, uh...
That we would see NASAMS
actually in combat operations.
At least for me, I can hope that
it wouldn't come to that.
But if it should come to that,
that at least our guys
should have the best equipment
and be the best trained.
Very early on, Norway and the
United States provided up to,
I believe it was three batteries
of NASAMS to Ukraine.
And that has then been augmented
by integrating other radar systems
as well as missiles, uh,
from other countries
into the air defense system
- [inaudible]
that is, uh, NASAMS in Ukraine.
[missile roaring]
[narrator] A handful of systems
were rushed
across the world into
a war already raging.
And within weeks,
they proved their worth.
Since the very beginning,
when it appeared
in... in, uh, fall 2022,
that was exactly the same time
when, uh, Russia started
massive missile, cruise missile attack
on critical national infrastructure.
And NASAMS appeared just on time.
[narrator] It was the first
time the system would face war.
Years of design and testing
were about to meet real rockets overhead.
[birds chirping]
[missile hissing]
We knew that the weapon system would work
if we did all the right things.
We had the live-fire program.
We knew that we were, you know,
up... up to 90%.
But in real combat,
that's something else.
[narrator] In one attack,
Ukrainian crews brought down
eleven Russian cruise missiles
in less than two minutes.
[missile hissing]
[alarm blaring]
[muffled explosion]
- [distant gunfire]
I believe in two minutes,
11 cruise missiles
were intercepted like in one salvo.
So you can imagine how
effective this system...
[birds chirping]
[narrator] And behind that
moment was a commander...
[inaudible]
whose calm under fire became history.
[man speaking foreign language]
[keyboard clacking]
[inaudible]
[missiles roaring]
[narrator] Since then,
NASAMS has intercepted
more than 1000 missiles
and aerial threats.
[Denys] Most of them are cruise missile.
So you can imagine how many
critical national infrastructure,
how many civilian lives
saved this system.
[engine rumbling]
[narrator] What began in
minutes over one city
became a daily defense
from border to border.
[siren wailing]
We had, uh, an event when
one asset was attacked
by 36 cruise missiles,
and most of them being
intercepted by only one NASAMS battery.
So guys just fastly
reloaded their launchers
to achieve such great result.
There are no weapon systems that perfect.
But they managed to get
that result on day one.
And I felt a sense of relief.
I think, "Okay, guys,
now you got it."
You put it in the right place.
You did it.
Okay, now, now you can...
"You can start fight...
Fighting back."
[missile roaring]
[narrator]
But success has consequences.
- Russia adapted, changing flight
paths, - [fire crackling]
hardening their cruise missiles
and refining their tactics.
Even though Russia trying
to improve their tactics
to make their cruise missile
harder, more protected,
still we... we have now
effectiveness not less than 90%.
[narrator]
In Ukraine, NASAMS cruise
pushed the system beyond its design,
reloading in the field, firing
and relocating constantly.
The challenge in... in Ukraine
is that, um, they don't have
the time available to
perform the recommended
maintenance in between the firings.
So they just have to
re... reload the launcher again
and be ready for li... almost
like an artillery system.
[narrator] Air defense
isn't just about missiles.
It's about protection.
Purpose and survival.
No one wants war, but when it comes,
those who can defend... must.
Nobody wants war.
Nobody.
But when... when this happens,
that we can make a difference
and show why we are here,
I think that is something
we are very proud of.
And the work we do to...
To help out is... is critical.
[heroic music]
It is a clear object, uh, clear statement
from our politicians that we're
supporting Ukraine.
And we are.
Because this war is happening now.
And it's a war in Europe.
And it's tragic.
[music intensifies]
[music fades]
[soft rumble]
[conversations in foreign language]
[narrator] Ukrainian crews
now come to Norway
to learn NASAMS firsthand.
Each rotation builds
skill and confidence.
Soldiers training not for
theory, but for survival.
And automatic...
- Now, this was a system that they didn't have.
So we had to...
take them in and teach them
how to use the system.
[man] ...points to remember...
[narrator] What began as instruction
has become collaboration.
[speaking foreign language]
A living alliance forged
through necessity
and shared purpose.
Now we look at from unknown to friend.
We try to give them both
the theoretical package
that they need to understand the system
and mature with the system.
But also the practical lessons
that they need to
really get into their fingers
to be able to
act on muscle memory.
And then eventually we give leadership
over to the commanders and they...
lead their own units
in the field, mentored by us.
[woman speaking foreign language]
I feel humbled to be able to do this.
The first time I did it...
[speaking faintly]
I was nervous.
Um...
Who am I to meet these people
who s... meet these hardships?
- [inaudible] - And then what
can I teach them to help them?
But as we continued to train them,
I realized this is our...
Our chance to give something to them.
[dramatic music swells]
And make sure you have, uh,
on the quick VCS tab,
selected your weapon control volume.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] In weeks, the
students become defenders.
[man speaking foreign language]
[button clicks]
[beeping]
[music swells]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
[soft chuckling]
[soldier] I think, uh, the
better part of NASAMS it's...
the most important, it's air defense.
Defense of, uh, our sky.
Because, uh, many civilian
people in Ukraine,
uh, it's, uh, kids, women,
daughters, sons, husbands.
[female instructor] We are
seeing, like, the students
are highly motivated, of course,
and they are progressing really fast.
There are a lot of information
that they have to adapt,
learn and use within those,
uh, weeks they are here.
And, uh, so far they've
been doing, uh, great.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator]
Knowledge here is ammunition,
and they fire it with discipline.
[button clicks]
Okay guys, um, now we will do
the setup of the launcher.
For connectivity,
we will use alternative...
[Kiki] NASAMS system, uh, gets
Ukrainian air defense system stronger.
[male instructor] Remember to
check that the area is clear,
that all of the components
is present, and...
[Kiki] And, uh, that's why
we're here and learn
and we will be... use that
to defend, uh, our country.
Uh, and when I say country,
uh, I mean people.
And then we need
to check, uh, the canisters.
Check!
[woman speaking foreign language]
Because it's, uh...
It's very important.
Now we're going to look at
how we turn the FTC on.
- [indistinct dialogue] - Uh,
so today we're looking at the FTC
and we're just teaching
how to start it up.
There's a lot of different boxes in
there and they each do their own thing.
So we have to go them...
Through them step by step.
The voltage is around, uh,
the correct levels.
I think, uh, is... my favorite
part of the system
is, uh, communication and connection.
Uh, because it's the mostly
important thing in the system.
Power, uh, and now we wanna go through the power system.
- Okay.
Yeah, today we're
trying to, uh, get the signal
with one mast to another mast.
[Ivan] Yeah?
- Yeah.
[Ivan] Alright, so this is the part where
you're better than me.
- [Kiki] Yeah. [chuckles]
[Ivan] Alright,
let's take up the mast, so...
[rattling]
It, uh, looks like, uh,
in Star Wars Starfighter.
[chuckles]
- Pew, pew!
[Ivan] We're in now. Perfect.
- [Kiki] Like that.
Alright.
- Well, you can see he's smiling, so, uh...
And I think that reflects his
performance as well.
He's, uh...
He's doing really good.
[narrator] Soon, their lessons
will be tested
not on screens,
but under fire, back home in Ukraine.
I have a chance to get some knowledge,
uh, about, uh, air defense system NASAMS.
I think I get back in Ukraine
and bring some knowledge about
that system to my, uh, brother-in-arms.
[melancholic music]
[Ivan] Norway and Ukraine have,
uh... they have a long history together.
I believe there was
a king back in, uh, the 1100s
who was, um...
married to, uh, a Ukrainian, uh...
Uh, princess.
So, in a way, it feels
right both historically
to be able to help them out.
They... they smile at you
and they shake your hand
and they say... thank you.
But, um, it always strikes me
that it shouldn't be that way,
it... it should be the
other way around, where we...
We extend our hand to them and
we tell them, "Thank you,"
because they are, uh...
They are the shield of Europe.
And...
it's the least that we could do.
I really hope that we
can continue training,
delivering,
and, uh, saving lives on the battlefield.
[cameraman]
Is Ivan a good teacher?
Sure.
- [both chuckle]
Sure, sure, yeah.
We have some jokes.
Let's not tell them here.
- Surely.
[chuckling]
[music increases]
It's a wrap.
- [all chuckle]
So today if you ask, uh...
If you ask the employees in KDA,
I think, uh, what they're
most proud of is...
uh, seeing the effect of NASAMS
and... and NASAMS's
performance in Ukraine.
[narrator] From the war-torn
skies of Ukraine,
the threat drifts west.
[birds chirping]
[gentle beats]
[gentle guitar music]
Across the border, in Poland,
the Royal Norwegian Air Force
stands watch.
[airplane flying overhead]
Calm, ready, unwavering.
So, what I need for you guys is
to run out there to the radar,
establish it as fast as possible
and then we'll send it over
to the tactical operations cell
and they will do the rest.
Okay? Any questions?
- [soldier] Yeah.
The Norwegian unit here
is a part of the Integrated
Air and Missile defense
from, uh, the NATO mission.
[woman] The AMD battalion
is part of NSATU,
Integrated Air and Missile
defense, uh, here in Poland.
And our mission is to defend
the Logistics, uh, Enabling Node.
It's currently centered here in,
uh, Rzeszw-Jasionka Airport.
[Preben]
Our job is to be the
short and medium-range,
uh, protection of this asset.
[narrator] This is NATO's edge.
A quiet frontier where
peace meets pressure.
Russian jets probe the airspace.
Drones cross lines.
Testing, taunting, watching
who will blink first.
[Preben]
So, the rock here is the...
The air defense logo that we're using
for all the people working here to touch
and, uh, maybe get some, uh,
blessings before their shift.
[narrator]
The Norwegians don't flinch.
[music fades]
So, the battery's name
is Battery 51 Mike.
That's the name for the...
The unit that's operating here.
Uh, previously, uh, the unit, uh, here
named the camp, uh, Camp Shit
because of all the fertilizer
that was in the area.
So we had to change it now
when we did the...[chuckles]
the transfer of authority.
Ah, the r...
When we did the rotation
of the batteries down here,
we... we switched the name
to Battery 51 Mike
because the other battery's,
uh, named 52 Mike. [chuckles]
[birds chirping]
We separate the radars
to be able to expand
the... detection range that
we have on the system.
So we are able to control
the radars remotely
from different, uh,
firing distribution cells.
Multiple radars can contribute to
create a recognized, uh, air picture.
So all of the different radars
can work on the same targets
to give a real-time update on where it is
to be able to engage on it
with our launchers.
So, uh, in a mission like this
where we are placed in a cluster
with other, uh, surface-based,
uh, air defense assets,
we are able to protect 360.
So, the threats can come
from any direction
and we will still be able
to defend the asset.
This is the electro-optical sensor
and, uh, this is a tool that
we use in the NASAMS
to be able to do kill assessment
and also verify what
we see with the radars.
So we can separate
the... the strength
of the track and we can also,
uh, investigate if we are able
to shoot it down
uh, in terms of the kill assessment.
[airplane engine rumbling]
- [intriguing music]
[narrator] Their mission is
vigilance, not escalation.
To respond but never react.
Okay guys, we are gonna do
exercise to get all launcher up.
Any questions?
Our teams are actually very tireless...
[chuckles] in, uh, performing
their mission.
So, uh...
Um...
normally they...
train on their reloads or
heightened alert states.
No? Okay. Are we ready?
[male soldier] Yes.
- Ready, set, go!
[music increases]
[indistinct shout]
[narrator]
They've come not to fight,
but to keep the peace intact.
Our main effort is to make sure that
the Polish and NATO
airspace is, uh, secured,
and that the... the support
into Ukraine can, uh, continue.
[airplane engine rumbling]
[speaking foreign language]
Uh, good, uh, work, guys. Uh...
And also, uh, faster than the last time.
So very good job...
[narrator]
For Norway, this deployment
is a promise that Europe's borders
will not be violated without consequence.
[inaudible]
- And that peace, once broken,
will always be rebuilt stronger.
[Hege] We are fully integrated
with both, uh, German allies,
uh, Polish allies and we also, um...
do some training with the...
The Americans in the area.
[whirring]
It's a great...
Great way to,
uh, get to...
do a mission with our allies,
uh, in support, uh, to Ukraine.
Okay, so that was very effective.
The establishment went very smoothly.
[narrator] From Ukraine's skies
to Poland's forests,
the same shield endures.
Forged in Norway, trusted by NATO
and held steady by the quiet courage
of those who stand beneath it.
[Preben]
We are next to the FTC now.
I can't, uh, show you inside
because of security reasons.
We are conducting live
operations at the moment
and the operators need, uh,
their space to operate.
Yeah, the Norwegian flag
is, uh, here as a...
A patriotic symbol.
It reminds of, uh... of home.
And, uh, it, uh...
We just had our Constitution Day.
They actually had a
celebration here with a table
and, uh, they had some special food
and, uh...
a lot of cake and some, uh...
Some non-alcoholic bubbles.
- [faint chatter]
Although we were on duty, we were able
to celebrate a bit, yeah.
- [chuckling]
So, it means a lot to us, uh, Norwegians.
We are very proud of our, uh,
Constitution Day and although
we were on duty, it, uh,
still worked out quite nice.
So, seeing what's happening in
Ukraine right now reminds us
how we cannot take
the freedom for granted.
So, being able to celebrate our own,
uh, Constitution Day the way we do
is, uh... is important to us,
especially when we are soldiers out here.
Uh, what we're doing now is
also fighting for our own freedom
'cause we... we represent
a military unit
that, uh, is, uh...
Is fighting for, uh, other people's, uh,
freedom elsewhere in the world.
[heroic music]
We may not be the biggest,
but, uh, we are powerful.
I am, uh, extremely proud to be
working on this mission.
It is important, uh, for me,
for my country,
for Ukraine and for the
safety of, uh, the whole world.
[speaks foreign language]
[faint chatter]
- [Hege chuckles]
[Hege]
It's very rewarding to be here,
- not far from the border to
Ukraine, - [inaudible]
uh, and make sure...
Making sure that they
have the support, uh, that they need.
- [indistinct chatter] - But also
to stand by our allies at the border
to make sure that, uh...
both the Polish
and the NATO airspace
is secured and safe.
[inaudible]
[solemn music]
[yvind] An air defender, he is
given a task to protect,
for instance, an air force base
or some other critical infrastructure
or an area.
- [beeping]
[narrator] There are just two of
them in the combat positions.
Two minds, one mission.
- [beeping]
[yvind] Then it's your
job to defend that area
by using the effectors
of the NASAMS systems,
which for a long time
have been the...
The AMRAAM missiles.
[narrator]
One tracks the picture.
[beeping continues]
The other weighs the risk.
[yvind]
And the air defender's job...
is in an integrated system
because that's important.
Because he or she will get warnings
from the air surveillance sites
that possible threats are incoming.
0-1-1, this call sign's in action.
[rapid beeping]
- [music intensifies] - [narrator]
A shape appears on the screen.
Hostile track, 1-2-7-9.
Single allocation.
Enable fire.
[narrator]
Altitude, speed, intent.
[Vidar] We'll first get
alert that... that there's
an attack coming, if you're lucky.
But you can get some
alerts if you're not.
The first thing you see is that
you have some pop-ups on your display.
Check 2-0-1-5.
[narrator] Is it friend or foe?
Worth a missile?
What's below it?
Who else is in range?
Hostile track, 1-2-3-7.
Single allocation...
First processor, are there
any good guys here?
Identification.
Hostile track, 1-2-1-1.
Ripple allocation...
[narrator] This is not reflex.
This is triage under pressure.
- [multiple beeping]
Sometimes the answer is "hold."
- [man speaks indistinctly]
Sometimes it is "fire."
[Vidar] But it's this mental
thing that you see
this gorilla barreling down your way.
You go, "What do I do now?
Okay, how can I handle that?"
[narrator] And sometimes
the right call is to let it go,
saving a missile for
a later, deadlier moment.
That's where the war is fought.
Hostile track, 1-2-3-1.
Single allocation.
1-2-3-1, firing.
[narrator]
When they press the button...
[whooshing]
- [deep rumble]
[missile hissing]
there is no cheering.
[siren blaring]
There is a quiet confirmation,
a shared look, and then the waiting.
[beeping]
Watching the intercept on the screen
as though it were theater
slowed to match a heartbeat.
[deep rumble]
[distant explosion]
Target destroyed.
[yvind]
This is a continuous job you do
until... the sky is clear.
[film whirring]
[narrator]
The story of air defense
is, at its heart, the story of time.
And the unending quest to get
that extra vital second.
[speaking foreign language]
[pensive music]
Each generation inherits that duty.
To see further than the enemy.
- [inaudible]
- Go! - [narrator] Think
faster than the threat...
[indistinct shouts]
and to execute without error.
[Heidi] The future of NASAMS
is to go higher and lower.
To make it a full-spectrum air
defense capable system.
- [inaudible] - [Lars]
Yeah, I think it's gonna be
the backbone for Norway,
so it's gonna be good.
It's a bright future.
[Vidar] When we're moving into
the next macro trends,
quantum computing
and artificial intelligence,
what we see will come our way,
and we are ready for that.
[narrator] NASAMS is the
definitive chapter in that ongoing story.
The legacy of people who refuse
to let the sky belong to anyone else.
[music increases]
[yvind] If you shoot down a missile
or a drone or whatever it is that's about
to attack you, you're saving lives.
That's what the NASAMS system,
and other GBAD systems,
is doing every day.
[narrator] What began as Norway's
quiet experiment has become
something far greater.
A global guardian born in the
service of peace.
I think the Norwegian spirit in NASAMS
is to maximize what you
can do with minimal resources.
[yvind] I'm really grateful for
those, uh, wise decisions
that they did back in the '80s.
That was, uh, basically the driver
for the implementation of the
NASAMS system.
[inaudible]
[Olav] I'm... I'm very impressed.
When I was a cadet
at the Air Force Academy back in 1955,
my impressions of Kongsberg
and the team working there
continuously on a missile
development cycle
over the next 70 years
impresses me tremendously,
and does so today.
[Ivan] I know that this system
makes a difference.
- We will keep on doing this for
a while longer. - [inaudible]
I'm more than happy to do so,
for as long as it takes.
And I really, really hope that we get
to continue doing this once this is over.
[faint chuckling]
[Vidar] I've been doing this for a while.
I... I was so lucky I got in
at the start in '87.
[inaudible]
- And I... I left, uh, in...
In '98, the Air Force, and
then the continuation.
You're an air defender for life.
[Eirik] The people working here
is what I'm proud of.
- Everybody's contributing to develop
what we are doing. - [inaudible]
We are in the forefront when it comes to,
especially on the defense side,
making a difference in the world.
[missile hissing]
We never expected, I never expected it
to be tested in war, as it did.
And of course, that puts another
magnitude of meaningfulness.
- [inaudible]
Always meaningful to work for Kongsberg,
and that meaningfulness...
And that is...
something to get emotional about.
[soft chuckle]
[pensive music]
[narrator] Born of necessity,
forged in partnership,
proven in war,
and still, at its heart,
a machine of peace.
[muffled rumbling]
[music fades lightly]
[music fades into deep whooshing]
[deep rumble]
[deep whooshing]
[deep rumble]
[birds chirping]
[engine rumbling]
[birds chirping]
[man] So if you picture an
early, uh... uh, crisp morning...
[suspenseful music]
and, uh, suddenly, you know,
the seagulls are
suddenly disturbed
by a really strange sound.
And that sound can come from
what we call air-breathing targets...
[siren blaring]
more specifically, cruise missiles.
[missile hissing]
[narrator] When the sirens
sound, every second stretches.
They, unfortunately, seldom travel alone,
and they represent
a very likely early threat.
[missile hissing]
[narrator] People run, pray,
- [inaudible]
wait for the impact.
That may never come.
Because high above the city,
an invisible shield
is already awake, searching,
- [machine whirring]
tracking, intercepting.
Those radars will,
in a couple of seconds,
they will track the... and... and
scan the whole airspace.
[narrator]
It's a machine that exists
so that others can sleep.
Within a few milliseconds, those tracks,
they are identified.
- [monitor beeping]
[narrator]
Built not for conquest,
but for protection.
Then the track data is
sent to the launchers.
[narrator] Not to win wars,
but to stop them from beginning.
[officer] Track, one,
five, two, four, firing.
Rocket motor will ignite.
[missile rumbling]
[music intensifies]
And then the missile will
fly out of the launcher,
pass, uh, speed of sound.
And then you can observe the impact.
[narrator] It's called NASAMS,
the National Advanced
Surface-to-Air Missile System.
[man 2]
We have many important objects
and areas that need to be defended,
and the NASAMS system is the...
The backbone of that, uh, defense system.
[narrator]
A system born of necessity,
shaped by collaboration,
and tested in the most brutal of labs,
war itself.
- [missile roaring]
[man 3]
If you fly an offensive mission
within, inside the NASAMS coverage area,
I mean, are you suicidal?
Because it's so dangerous,
you won't survive that.
[narrator] From a small nation
on the edge of Europe
came a simple idea,
- [missiles hissing and roaring]
that technology can buy time,
and time saves lives.
[music swells]
Uh, you can't win a war with
a NASAMS-type capability,
but you will definitely lose without.
[sirens blaring]
[muffled rumble]
[music fading]
[sirens fading]
[narrator] The story of NASAMS
has roots back to the 1940s,
as Hitler's German forces
marched through the fjords.
[man] The war did actually come
to Norway, and specifically
- the geostrategic location
of Norway - [plane buzzing]
was very valuable to the Germans.
On the one hand side,
to secure oil imports
from Sweden and Norway via the ports,
as well as having that... those
sort of basing options in the ports,
Norwegian ports, in order
to have the Kriegsmarine,
the German navy, operate from there.
- [narrator] Norway fell in
weeks, - [loud rumble]
an independent
nation under foreign boots.
[man speaking German in recording]
The occupation cut deep,
a wound that left a deep scar.
[Christoph]
So as part of the occupation,
there was of course violent repression
against the, uh, civilian
population of Norway,
and as in any occupied territory,
Germany also tried to exploit
the resources and the industry,
uh, that Norway had in order to
manufacture goods and weapons.
[missile falls, then explodes]
[faint chatter]
[man 2] Uh, my hometown was
bombed during World War II.
There was a couple of hours, four hours,
60% of all...
Of all the buildings
were flattened, 70 metric tons
by the Luftwaffe at the...
At the time.
[airplane hovering]
We know that it doesn't really work,
uh, to bomb civilian population.
You will not break their spirit.
[vintage music]
[man on recording]
Bread and sausages confiscated
from German military stores.
- [inaudible]
A treat for Norwegian children,
whose land for five long years
had been occupied and systematically
pillaged by the Germans.
[narrator]
Norwegians learned that
freedom cannot be outsourced.
- [crowd roaring]
It must be built, engineered
and defended.
[man] The Second World War left
quite a mark in Norway,
in terms of preparedness and
readiness for, uh, a conflict
that is, uh, imposed on the country,
rather than being, uh,
a sort of a... a war of choice.
The proximity nowadays
with Russia, of course,
and being in, sort of the... the
northern-western edge, uh,
with the strategic location that it has,
uh, of course, makes it, um,
very important for the country
to prepare itself for any eventuality.
[bright music]
- [faint cheering]
[narrator] That resolve became
a national instinct.
A nation once occupied became a nation
that would never be
caught unprepared again.
[dramatic music]
This is where the story of
Norwegian innovation begins.
Not with weapons, but with will.
This is where the story of NASAMS begins.
[inaudible]
[pensive music]
[film whirring]
The Second World War changed everything.
For the first time, the sky
was the battleground.
[Christoph] Now, the history of
air defense goes, arguably, back
to the 19th century,
uh, the American Civil War,
and even during
the Franco-Prussian War in 1870,
there were artillery guns that
had been repurposed to shoot
at observation balloons.
- [faint explosion]
But it really only picks off
with the First World War,
where the aircraft is then exploited
as a real military tool,
- [heavy gunfire]
and there are machine guns
up to, again, artillery guns,
have been repurposed to combat
these aircraft at various altitudes.
- [explosion] - [narrator]
Cities burned from above,
and the defenders could only fire
blindly into the dark skies.
From that desperation
came the first radar,
and the realization that seeing
was as important as shooting.
- [machinery rattling]
[Christoph]
You also have radar gun laying
to increase the accuracy of guns,
especially at higher altitudes,
that shoot at higher altitudes,
and, uh, can act then also at night,
where visual tracking of
aircraft is, of course, impossible.
[dramatic music]
[narrator] Fast forward to 1967,
when the Six-Day War
proved the lesson again.
[airplane hovering]
Without air defense, an air
force can vanish in hours.
The shock rippled through NATO.
[airplane hovering]
Airfields once thought secure
were shown to be targets, not shelters.
[Vidar] It was the same wake-up
call as in 1967.
Same wake-up call then.
Israelis managed
to then completely destroy
the Egyptian and the Jordanian air force,
so that was a big wake-up call.
"Oh, we need air... air defense
over our airports. Ah!"
[music intensifies]
[Christoph] As we then progress
into the Cold War,
there is the...
Of course, the onset
of the missile age,
and missiles were used as air defense
in order to increase the probability
of a kill on a s...
A single shot,
as well as to act against
higher altitudes.
[narrator] Norwegian commanders
saw it clearly.
To survive an attack, their runways
had to survive the first strike.
Every nation dreams of
an impenetrable sky.
In truth, air defense is a balance.
Long-range systems see far, but
are big, heavy and expensive.
Short-range systems react fast,
but see little.
Between them lies the gap,
the space where most attacks occur.
That meant building a new kind of shield,
one that was agile,
intelligent and their own.
That's where the idea of NASAMS began.
It would be a living network of radars,
missiles and decision-makers.
The bridge between fighter jets
above and soldiers below.
Vulnerability was a choice
Norway would never make again.
[crowd cheering]
Out of that defiance,
they began to architect
an intelligent defense system
from the ground up.
[music fades]
[seagulls squawking]
[intriguing music]
In a quiet seaside town in Norway,
a small group of engineers
set out to build it.
It's a unique system.
And what's special is that, uh,
it started here in Stavanger.
[narrator] In Stavanger,
Norway's old air defense school
became a workshop for the future.
In the 1980s, Norway had
a homegrown air defense system
called Norwegian-adapted HAWK.
It was the best they had.
The HAWK system was an old system,
so it wasn't... wasn't going
to live for... forever.
Everything was planned on
the Norwegian-adapted HAWK,
the NOAH system.
And we thought, we...
Well, we thought
it was a very effective system.
We've used it, fired it and we wanted to
put it on our main
six tactical airfields,
which we really wanted to
protect as a priority one.
[narrator]
However, HAWK's main flaw
was limited engagement capability.
[Arne]
The high-power illuminator,
which we... we used to
illuminate the target,
and the missile followed
the, uh, radar beam.
That's why t... why it's called
HAWK, Homing All The Way Target.
So we had to have the radar
to follow the target
all the time until you hit it.
And you also had
acquisition radar to... to
find the... the target
in the first place.
[narrator]
Norway's air force officers
and young engineers
pored over the NOAH system
to find a better solution.
[Svein] The original HAWK system, they...
They needed a lot of
men and... and vehicles.
And, then, uh...
it was very expensive to... to...
To operate and to move around.
[narrator]
HAWK could see and shoot,
but it couldn't think for itself.
It had limitations.
[Svein]
We, uh, needed a system
where we could, uh, put, uh, a...
All... all the units
on... on the same,
uh, air picture,
distributing, uh,
from one radar to another,
which was not possible in...
In the HAWK system.
[film whirring]
[narrator] Norway needed
something smaller,
faster, smarter.
And for a nation too small
to outspend its rivals,
there was only one path forward.
Innovate or disappear.
[seagulls squawking]
Enter Lieutenant Colonel
Jan Reidar Hovland,
an engineer in uniform, part soldier,
part scientist, part stubborn Norwegian.
He was a visionary, he had
ideas, and... and he worked hard.
One of these meeting,
in early... late '88,
an engineer sitting on...
On my right hand,
and he listened, he didn't say much.
[narrator] At this meeting,
Hovland offered an idea
so audacious, it instantly
changed everything.
But the need for a more
advanced system was undeniable.
[man] They needed something
else, they needed to in...
Disrupt how air defense was
done, uh, in the past.
So we needed some, what you call
it, a fire-and-forget system,
that was, uh, easier, uh,
to... to field
in different, uh, topologies.
[engine hissing]
- [interesting music]
[narrator] At the time,
the Norwegian Air Force
had just taken delivery
of F-16 fighter jets.
[Olav] The basic thing had been
to get the airborne AMRAAM
for our new F-16 aircraft
And [stammers] we had
wanted it... for a long time.
[narrator] Then Hovland pitched
his idea to the group.
And he said, "Why don't you
put new AMRAAM missiles"
into the NOAH launchers?"
[Arne]
And nobody knew tha... if...
If it was possible
to launch it from the ground.
The rest of the people
around the table, they...
They didn't quite know what
he was talking about.
[Arne] He had done some calcu...
Calculations, and, uh...
he believed that, uh,
it would be possible.
[engine hissing]
[narrator] His logic
was simple and genius.
Why reinvent a missile
that already works?
Just change the way we launch it.
Many others were skeptical.
I looked at the chief of defense,
and we looked at each other.
We asked the question,
"If you can fire it from a plane"
and hit another plane,
why can't you fire it from ground
"and hit another plane?"
And then and there we saw, this is...
a really fantastic idea.
That has never been done before.
He was a visionary man to come up
with this idea back in '82, '83.
[narrator] The AMRAAM missile
utilization was genius.
[Svein]
You can point the canister
at the target, fire,
- [missile hissing]
and then forget
and go to another target.
Because the...
The missile itself
will do the rest of the job.
It's pretty cool.
[Arne] A system that could fire fi...
Up to 54... missiles
in about 10 seconds
against 54 different targets.
So the firepower is amazing.
Yeah, it's very cool.
[chuckles]
[narrator]
Critics called it impossible.
[missile hissing]
- [launch blast]
Hovland called it efficient,
and he had the data to prove it.
He was a pilot, he knew,
I knew immediately.
And we thought, "This is...
This is the future."
[Arne] The first launch was in 1993,
and that was, uh, successful.
But the... just the idea, for me,
that was a... a revelation.
[narrator] A NASAMS fire unit
is more than a missile system.
It's a network that thinks.
Each fire unit is made up
of three launchers, a radar,
and a fire distribution center,
referred to as FDC.
With the FDC being the brain of the unit.
But what makes it powerful
isn't just precision, it's flexibility.
What is special about the NASAMS system
is that it has an architecture
which is kind of unique.
[narrator] Every element,
launcher, radar,
command post, can be separated,
miles apart, and still linked
by encrypted radio.
They see the same sky,
share the same picture,
and react as one.
Everything will be, uh, detected
by the C2 system,
so they will know exactly
which missile is where.
[narrator]
The radar scans the horizon,
- [radar beeping] - Tracking threats
across hundreds of kilometers.
It feeds data to the FDC,
where two operators watch tracks appear.
A hostile aircraft,
a cruise missile, a drone.
The system provides critical information
about how to engage the threat.
Examples of, uh, engagement
critical information,
uh, when the system suggests
you should engage now,
and you should... you should
engage with this firing doctrine.
[narrator] The operator makes a decision.
- [machine whirring]
Each launcher holds six AMRAAM missiles.
[missile hissing]
- Supersonic,
radar-guided, battle-proven.
When fired, they leave
the ground at Mach 4.
[Carsten] Today we have a system
that can be distributed
over a huge area,
making it hard to detect.
[narrator] The unique benefit
of the system is its ability
to help the air defender
with information.
- [Carsten] So what we do is that we
filter that information, - [inaudible]
or that decision
support part in the FDC filter
that information
into what is time-critical
and engagement-critical.
[narrator]
A defense grid that moves
with the battle not behind it.
[dramatic music]
[music fades]
[bell tolling in distance]
Kongsberg has always built
things that matter.
For centuries, this small town
has lived at the edge of necessity.
Once a silver mine,
then a gunmaker's forge,
now a hub of global defense
and technology.
It's Norway's oldest military town,
and still one of its most inventive.
[birds chirping]
The same hands that once forged rifles,
now design systems that
think for themselves.
Kongsberg City, uh, we a...
Also call the company Kongsberg,
but it's... [chuckles] it's...
It's a city called Kongsberg City.
And... and, uh, I would say it's
a small... it's a small town,
you know, we are close to
30,000 people here.
[birds chirping]
[narrator] By the early 1980s,
Norway had learned a hard lesson.
When crisis strikes, you cannot rely
on others to arm your defense.
The philosophy Hovland
helped spark, ignited here.
Kongsberg became the forge where
his idea was shaped into reality.
Today, the heartbeat of NASAMS
echoes through these halls.
The clang of steel, the glow of
code, the precision of trust.
[distant clanking]
[Carsten] When the NASAMS
system is in combat,
then nothing can go wrong.
- [inaudible]
You need to be able to trust the system.
[faint clanking]
There is a lot of, uh, attention
to detail in the production area.
We have examples of launchers,
single launchers,
that's fired more than...
Way more than 100 missiles
without any serious maintenance.
And in order to, uh... uh,
a launcher to actually handle that,
everything has to be really
accurate and really robust.
Currently, they are producing launchers
for multiple different nations.
They are quite busy.
All the... the teams in, uh...
In the production lines
and design areas and everywhere,
they're all aware of what
the NASAMS system is capable of.
And also what it's doing,
what kind of difference
it's making in Ukraine as we speak.
[tools rattling]
[narrator] At the factory,
a father and daughter
work side by side.
- [inaudible]
He on the launchers, she on the software.
[bright, upbeat music]
I've been working on modernizing
the UI for the users,
so it's simpler and easier
to interact with.
[man] I've been working with
the software on NASAMS since
the first firings in '91.
Developing the system
from the HAWK system
to the modern NASAMS system.
[Heidi] So we see the missile
fly out here.
So right now we're at the
training facilities at Kongsberg.
- [speaking faintly]
This is what we call the academy
and this is the training room.
So we have four FTCs that the students
can practice working as a
full battalion in NASAMS.
- [speaking faintly]
And we can control everything
from one station,
so it's easier for us to teach
them how to use NASAMS.
Blue now, but if you do the other
track symbols standard, they'll be green.
- [mouse clicks]
So today, uh, Lars and I, we have done
a small update on the software.
So we're just checking to make
sure that everyone...
Everything's okay
and that they're working to...
Good together.
And just fine-tuning if there's anything
we see and taking notes.
[Lars] Much better than the
previous versions.
And we can see we have full
control over all our battalion.
I'm actually third-generation
Kongsberg employee
on my mom's side.
Because my granddad on my
mom's side also worked here.
Firing three targets.
- [mouse clicks]
[Lars] I've been here for 40 years now.
So...
And that's not, uh, that special.
It's a lot of my colleagues
that's been here
since the early 80s.
- Away on four bogies.
- [narrator] It's two generations
with one mission. - [faint dialogue]
[Heidi] So, right now, it's
high probability of a...
And what we've seen now...
in Ukraine
makes it even more important...
to stay focused and to keep on trying
to make the best system you can for...
the people out there
fighting for their freedom.
I think a lot of people want
to take pride in their work.
- They want to do a good job when
they do something. - [indistinct]
They see the system and they see
how much of an impact it could do.
- [indistinct]
And... they really just
want to make
the best system possible.
[speaking foreign language]
[keyboard clacking]
[narrator] Because in Kongsberg,
defense isn't about war.
It's about responsibility.
The knowledge that
what they build here is
protecting lives far beyond
these mountains.
[suspenseful music]
[Heidi] It feels special.
It's a very special feeling to
be able to say...
that I contributed
to saving lives and I
contributed to making the...
people of Ukraine more safe at home.
And...
it feels like all the work
that you put in,
it's... it's worth it.
[inaudible]
- And you suddenly want
to make it even better.
Because... there's always room
for improvement.
[music continues]
[Lars] It's... it's been my...
occupation for
40 years and I'm very proud.
And I've been a central part of
it for many years, designing it.
So... I'm proud of it.
The system that my dad
spent my whole childhood making
actually works in the
world and... can...
help people.
- [inaudible] - And I'm glad
to be a part of it myself.
[faint chatter]
[Lars]
You get really proud and...
it's, uh...
- [faint chatter]
it's not easy to talk about.
It's, uh... it's been a life...
Life's work and...
seeing that it's, uh...
Makes me emotional.
[solemn music]
[Vidar] It's more than a job,
it's like a... a lifestyle.
When you come here, immediately
you get caught into the culture.
You get caught in... into that
cultural spil... spirit that we have.
And that is... is a
competitive advantage.
[conversations in foreign language]
[narrator]
To carry that vision further,
Kongsberg needed a partner
across the Atlantic.
An alliance to marry Norwegian
command and control
with American radar and missiles.
Turning a local idea
into a global system.
[bell tolling]
[music fades]
- [birds chirping]
By the mid-80s, Kongsberg's
idea had outgrown Norway.
Hovland's concept was ready,
but to make it real,
they needed power, reach and radar.
That's where Raytheon came in.
[man] The relationship goes
back over 50 years.
And it's... it's just
been remarkable
in terms of the partnership that we've...
We've had, uh, you know, with Kongsberg.
[narrator] The Americans had
just built the AMRAAM,
a missile that could think for itself.
Hovland saw a new possibility.
[Tom] We needed, uh, a much more
modern, network-centric
kind of, uh... of system and
a real open architecture.
So we... we'd have
the ability to integrate,
uh, additional sensors
like the Sentinel radar
that's used today.
[narrator] It was the perfect
blend of American muscle
and Norwegian ingenuity.
[Tom] It's an active missile, so...
- [deep rumble]
essentially we use NASAMS, uh,
to guide the missile to...
uh, a point close enough to the threat.
And then once AMRAAM
is close enough to the threat
and actually locks on
with its own seeker,
it's essentially able to...
To do the rest of the mission itself.
[heroic music]
[narrator] Together, they form
a single organism.
Radar sees, code thinks, missile acts.
A ballet of algorithms and air pressure.
And soon it would protect the
most guarded airspace on Earth.
[loud explosion]
[Bush] Good evening.
Today our fellow citizens,
our way of life,
our very freedom came under attack
in a series of deliberate
and deadly terrorist acts.
[narrator] In the shadow
of 9/11, America learned
that security could never
again be assumed.
[Christoph] After 9/11, there
was a shock moment in
the United States and globally
of... of these attacks.
And plans were put in place to prevent
something like this happening again.
[narrator]
After September 11th, 2001,
the sky became a constant responsibility.
Under Operation Noble Eagle,
NORAD stood watch over the homeland.
[suspenseful music]
But above Washington, D.C.,
vigilance wasn't enough.
NORAD needed a system, ready now,
ready to protect the capital.
[man] So the air defense community
and the U.S. government
really went out to look
for what is...
What is ready now.
Uh, not 10, 15 years,
but what is ready now.
And that ready now question
was answered with NASAMS.
[narrator]
Here, in a discreet location
in Washington, D.C., sits one
of the NASAMS launchers.
Hey Specialist Farmer, how are you?
- Good morning sir, how are you?
I'm good. Uh...
How is everything going?
Everything's going quite well, sir.
[narrator]
Operated by the U.S. Army,
it stands silent, ready.
- [faint chatter]
[heroic music]
[officer] So, we perform, uh, air
defense in the National Capital Region.
Uh, the NASAMS system, or
- [inaudible]
No... uh, Norwegian Advanced
Surface-to-Air Missile System,
is a part of a...
A layered defense that we have here.
It's platforms and sensors,
uh, that we use throughout the region.
[narrator] Most of the people
living and working nearby
have no idea the firepower standing guard
just beyond their streets.
[Anthony] Uh, this is a...
uh, hidden-in-plain-sight
type of mission that we have here.
[Farmer] Yeah, it's... it's
pretty well hidden away.
Uh, we try not to, uh,
draw attention to it as much as we can.
It's a... a vital part of what
we do here
in regards to our layered defense,
uh, here in the National Capital Region.
[narrator] When the call came for
a new layer of protection around
the nation's capital,
it was a Norwegian system that answered.
[Carsten] They ended up, uh,
talking to the Norwegian Air Force.
And the Norwegian Air Force,
they decided to sell or to give, uh...
some NASAMS com...
Components to the U.S.
[narrator]
When the decision was made,
there were no announcements,
no itineraries,
no names on doors,
only silence and trust.
This was so secret,
so it was even hard to know
where to travel to the U.S.,
because nothing was shared, uh, with us.
So we have examples of our
engineers being met at the airport,
signing, uh, deeds of confidentiality,
and then, uh, blindfolded on their way
to the integration site
in the U.S.
[narrator] For the first time,
a foreign-made defense system
became part of
America's homeland protection.
And the U.S. has been
so satisfied
with protecting the National Capital
Region with NASAMS as their core,
that they haven't changed it.
- [helicopters whirring]
[narrator]
NASAMS had proven its worth.
[Tom] But you also have to think
about the complexity of...
a metropolitan area that has
at least two major airports,
uh, that you've got to, uh,
you know, kinda deal with...
With that complexity
as well as you're, you know,
doing the defensive mission.
[narrator]
Chosen in a moment of crisis
and trusted ever since,
- NASAMS still stands
silent guard - [indistinct]
over Washington, D.C.
today on mission.
[Anthony] We're always here,
uh, no matter
what's happening,
y... you know,
morning, noon, night.
There's soldiers available
to perform air defense
and to protect the skies over
the National Capital Region.
We'll open up our launcher control panel.
As a NASAMS operator, my primary role is
to do basic maintenance
- [indistinct]
on the weapon system itself.
This is reloaded.
[Anthony] The amount
of training that soldiers,
uh, perform on this system,
- [inaudible]
but on this mission alone,
is, uh, very daunting.
And they... and most, uh,
soldiers and...
And units come in here
with a lot of, uh, passion,
uh, for what they do.
[Calvin] So, looking at the
exterior of the launcher,
hydraulics look good.
I do... I... I very much
enjoy being able to
come to work every day and...
give everyone a peace of mind that
we're protecting our
National Capital Region.
We need to put those on
the maintenance log.
This is, uh,
what I feel like my life has...
Has... has brought me to.
Uh, I've always been a
big fan of the... of the 204th.
I've always loved my 204th family.
We're one of the best
air defense battalions
in the entire U.S. Army.
[inspiring music]
[Anthony] My favorite part
about this mission is that
it's very pure in regards to
what you do every day.
There's no question of what
you do when you wake up
in the morning and... and what
you're trying to get after
and what you're protecting.
[music fades]
[suspenseful music]
[narrator]
At the edge of the Arctic,
where ocean meets cloud, lies Andya.
A place where nations come
to see belief made real.
[man] We're now witnessing,
or are going to witness,
uh, the live firing of the
Norwegian, uh, NOMADS system,
uh, some U.S. Army, uh,
Stinger systems,
and also the Norwegian Army
NASAMS system.
Training objectives for this exercise
is a verification of the weapon system...
[Bjorn] It's part of a large
exercise that involves both,
uh, ship-based air defense
and land-based air defense
[indistinct]
- That is going to be
facing a threat of drones
that will be flying from the
ocean towards,
uh, where we stand.
So it's going to be an exciting day.
[man 2] Uh, we often have
a large... larger teams.
And we have our own, uh,
communication teams.
Uh, the... these
types of exercises
with live firing is, uh, crucial
to actually testing the system,
uh, on all levels.
And, uh, also being, uh...
Being members of an...
The alliance,
uh, to be able to work together
with our nations,
uh, integrate the systems,
uh, working together
to... towards, uh...
Towards a common threat.
[man 2] Uh, the fire unit team.
Uh, the fire unit team...
[man 3] Well, we're here to...
'cause we bought the same systems.
[inaudible]
- Uh, we will receive them
at the... the end of 2027, 2028.
So we are here to see the live firing,
'cause we...
We bought the systems,
but we've never actually
done the live firing.
The plan is to reload the NOMADS
and reset for the scenario
that we waited for...
For so long yesterday.
And we waited a bit more.
And we will see now
if they can get NASAMS
into action together with NOMADS
and also supported
by U.S. Stingers.
So that's the plan for today.
Don't jinx it now.
Throw it away!
[intriguing music]
[faint chatter]
So we have multiple bandits inbound...
bound for, uh, for an attack.
[woman] Stand by, NASAMS.
[man] Standing by for NASAMS.
- [overlapping voices]
NASAMS... And fire away!
- [overlapping voices]
[deep rumble]
- [music increases]
[narrator] Each year, beneath
the low northern sun,
missiles rise through the cold air
like promises tested by fire.
Gravity is the judge.
Precision, the prayer.
For Kongsberg, it's more than a test.
It's theater.
[music increases]
A stage where Norway's invention
performs before the world.
[missile roars]
[music fades]
We're today in 15 countries.
There's a high number of nations
really interested in NASAMS now,
because they see how, uh,
NASAMS actually perform
in, uh, international scenario
and how it actually performs in war.
[inaudible]
[narrator] Invited delegates
from across continents
stand in the freezing temperatures,
eyes fixed, hearts quickened.
[man] Since the last
few years, uh, with, uh...
Uh, what is happening in the world,
you see that people are more
aware that air defense
is an important part of
army, uh, operations.
[officer] And my job is a, uh...
[Frank] The... the people that are the
closest to the Netherlands people,
- [inaudible] - To the Dutch
people, uh, are the Norwegians.
In the culture, in the way we are,
in the way we conduct, uh, operations,
but also in the way we, uh, interconnect.
So it's always good to
be in Norway because
it feels a little bit like home,
only a little bit colder.
[indistinct chattering]
[narrator] They feel the tension
before they see it.
[Bjorn]
It's... it's exhilarating.
As an air defender,
for the whole of my life, eh...
[inaudible]
- it's... it's this that we...
That we look forward to,
because it... it is...
It is actually a...
- [inaudible]
confirmation that the system works.
[distant explosion]
- [crowd exclaiming]
[indistinct chatter]
- [scattered clapping]
[narrator] Kongsberg's Vice
President, Vidar Skjelstad,
hosts them quietly.
So targets at IP for Striker,
and this is gonna...
[narrator] Offering not
just data, but trust.
Every streak of flame
says the same thing.
This works.
- [rattling]
[missile hissing]
[pensive music]
[seagulls squawking]
- [Vidar] Uh...
At 1:30? 1:30 in the morning?
- [man speaks indistinctly]
NASAMS live function is always
like an experience.
It never gets old.
It's like a new thing.
You learn something new
and it's fantastic to see
the weapon system in action all the time.
And also the excitement
it creates by our guests, yeah?
So it's like a great, great time
for us, every time.
[distant missile hissing]
[narrator] Andya is no longer
a proving ground.
It's a symbol where technology
becomes diplomacy...
[muffled explosion]
and engineering becomes confidence.
[Bjorn] It's also being used in Ukraine,
as you well know, to great success.
And it's proven to be one of the
best systems in its class.
So yes, I'm proud to...
To be a Norwegian and to have operated
this system for so many years
and to see it today.
[music increasing]
[narrator]
From this frozen runway,
Norway's small creation took flight,
across borders, into the hands
of those who believed.
[gentle guitar music]
Spain's chapter in the NASAMS
story begins quietly.
Not in crisis, not in panic,
but in foresight.
NASAMS, eh, has proven its reliability
during over these years.
And a proof of that is
that Spain is going to...
To acquire five more batteries.
[faint whirring]
[man] NASAMS is one of our
greatest acquisitions of all time.
[clanking]
We've been working with
NASAMS for 20 years now.
And we really enjoy that,
and see that which is
an effective way of
defending our country.
[narrator] Spain was the first
to take NASAMS beyond Norway,
the first to let it breathe
on foreign soil.
[Oscar] Spain acquired NASAMS in 2003.
[pole squeaking]
[Ivan] Well, right now the...
Our crew are...
They are setting the radar.
They are preparing it to...
To start the...
The rotation, whenever it's necessary.
[gentle guitar music]
[Oscar] NASAMS fits, eh,
perfectly in Spanish doctrine.
It gives us very good
medium range system.
It also gives us the
capability to be integrated
in the NATO air and
missile defense system.
[soft whirring]
[narrator]
NATO is built on one principle,
collective defense.
A threat to one is a concern for all.
We could have, eh, some problems or...
some attacks in our own country,
we all know that.
But the thing is, right now
how collectively we work
all together and if, eh,
we have some NASAMS,
some batteries which we can, eh,
use them in deterrence and
protection in our allies,
that's what we are doing.
So it's... it's,
eh, crucial for...
For the whole unity of NATO
to be able to be deployed
wherever it's required.
[upbeat music]
[narrator] And now, under
the blue flag of NATO,
Spain's NASAMS stands in Latvia.
[man] It allows us to contribute
to the deterrence effort
on the eastern flag of NATO.
- [man translating to foreign language]
[narrator] A quiet Spanish
presence protecting
a distant European sky.
[Oscar] ...were deployed
in Latvia in 2022.
And this was because Latvia,
eh, doesn't have
eh, a medium-range system by itself.
So they asked the allies
to go there and protect
the... their skies.
[speaking Spanish]
[narrator]
Confidence here isn't loud.
It doesn't need to be.
It sits quietly behind a screen,
waiting for whatever dares to test it.
[Ivan] We work a lot with
people from the air,
with, eh, pilots, and they
are always scared.
[Oscar] Because the Sentinel
radar has very low emitting,
so the fighters
cannot, eh, detect it... it.
[Ivan] That's, eh, something we
ha... they all have in common,
they are always scared to
do some exercise with us
because they know, eh,
we always fighting first
before they... they could
engage to us.
[narrator]
It was born elsewhere.
But above Spain, it found its purpose.
[Ivan] I'd say NASAMS is the thing that
allows us to be... to live
freely in our country.
[Oscar] If you don't have
the air superiority,
you... you cannot protect
your country.
Everything will collapse.
[speaking Spanish]
You cannot be
confident, uh, in the street
if you don't have your sky protected.
[inaudible]
- Eh, daily basis, you...
You couldn't do it.
[music fades]
[crickets chirping]
[deep rumble]
[narrator] In Australia, defense
is a question of distance.
A country almost as big
as the United States.
To protect it isn't about building walls.
It's about reach.
How far you can see.
How fast you can move.
And of course, as you'll see,
Australians didn't just take
the system as is.
They put their own mark on it.
[man] NASAMS is the Army's
answer to air threats.
There's approximately
13 user nations in the world.
Australia, obviously, is now one of them.
And, uh, we're certainly
leading the charge,
uh, in terms of our capability
and developing that.
[soft whirring]
[narrator] Today, in the heart
of the outback,
a new NASAMS unit prepares
for its first live test.
Years of planning lead to this moment.
Not just to fire a missile,
but to prove a point.
- [indistinct chatter]
That Australia can defend its own sky.
[man 2] As the commander of the
10th Brigade and a serviceman
of 30 years service, I have...
rarely, if ever, seen a capability
for both our long-range fires and our,
uh, ground-based air defense,
uh, accelerate so quickly.
This will be the first time
occurrence for us.
This is a big step up from
the previous equipment
that we had for air defense.
- [indistinct chatter]
And it'll be a first proof
of it actually working
that everyone's pretty quite keen for.
[pensive, guitar music]
Just, I guess, excitement and,
yeah, just raring to go,
getting the missiles loaded up.
[officer] Hold still.
[narrator]
Here, mobility is everything.
That's why Australia chose
a uniquely practical solution.
[missile hisses and roars]
A high-mobility launcher
on the back of a ute.
[chuckles]
That was really,
really, really exciting, um...
That is probably a highlight
of my career so far.
[music fades]
[backing up beeping]
[narrator]
Missiles on a farm truck.
Unlikely, perhaps.
Unmistakably Australian.
[indistinct shouting]
[Cooper]
This vehicle is highly capable.
It can move into an area, set up,
engage and move out rapidly.
[faint chattering]
- [engine rumbling]
[narrator] In Australia,
NASAMS gives wings
to a missile made for flight.
Reborn for the ground.
[Nick] The missile itself is an
extremely capable missile
and it complements the
arsenal of the other missiles
that we will employ,
uh, with this system.
[narrator]
Instead of importing site,
Australia chose its own.
A radar developed by
an Australian company
that already serves the Navy
and the wider ADF
now powers NASAMS.
Proof of the system's true adaptability.
We're having a... an amazing
amount of success
utilizing that system.
It is actually best placed to provide
that killing ability for the launchers.
[narrator] And as the desert
stretches beyond the horizon,
the doctrine is clear.
Don't wait for the battle.
Take the shield to it.
Because of its distances, the
Australian Defence Forces
would plan to fight
forward so they would,
uh, in any kind of war,
you would expect to see
ADF forces forward in,
let's say, the Philippines, New Guinea.
And those forward forces would also need,
uh, defenses to cover them.
So, for example, NASAMS
would be potentially ideal
for covering, uh, forward
airbases or army formations
from its cruise missile attack.
[intriguing music]
- [faint chatter]
[inaudible]
The purpose of this
live fire is to show that
we can do a ripple fire between
two different systems.
So there's a little bit
of complexity noting that
this is the first of its first.
[soldier speaks indistinctly
over radio] ...over.
[soldier 2] Target airborne.
- [soldier 3] Target airborne!
[missiles hissing]
[narrator] In a nation this big,
versatility is not a luxury.
It's survival.
That's why this system matters.
Multiple missile types, multiple roles,
shared across the air force
and ground defense.
And that changes everything.
- [indistinct chatter]
[Justin] The benefits, of
course, of something like NASAMS
is that... that it's got that
commonality of munitions
so you... you're not investing
in a stockpile of munitions
that has no other utility.
And also because it's
a... a pretty light,
pretty mobile system,
it can do both static defense
and defensive mobile formations
forward so you've got
that kind of multiple utility,
um, which in some ways helps
to hedge against the
difficulty of trying to cover
all your bases with a finite
number of people
and... and a finite
number of dollars.
[narrator]
Flexible, mobile, multirole.
In a country where nothing is close...
[music swells into loud rumble]
that might be the most
powerful weapon of all.
[speaking Russian]
[distant gunshot]
[man speaks Russian]
[constant gunfire]
[somber music]
[narrator] When Russian forces
invaded in February 2022,
Ukraine's skies were undefended.
[indistinct shouting]
[loud explosion]
[explosion]
- [agonizing shout]
Russian missiles and
drones fell like rain,
turning cities into targets.
This building was hit with...
With a few...
Kalibrs cruise missiles.
Now, those people were outside
because it wasn't so precise,
so a few missiles hit it
on the... in this city,
one hit it in the parking lot here.
A lot of people died in
this medical clinic.
Very important to have enough
modern air defense systems
with enough munition for them.
[narrator] NASAMS quickly earned
a reputation across Ukraine
as a reliable defense system.
[speaking foreign language]
[narrator] When Ukraine
first received NASAMS
in November 2022, it was a lifeline.
[missile hissing]
[man speaking foreign language]
[missiles hissing]
Ukraine realized that
if you don't have adequate
air defense, you will lose this battle.
[Vidar] I never dreamt that, uh...
That we would see NASAMS
actually in combat operations.
At least for me, I can hope that
it wouldn't come to that.
But if it should come to that,
that at least our guys
should have the best equipment
and be the best trained.
Very early on, Norway and the
United States provided up to,
I believe it was three batteries
of NASAMS to Ukraine.
And that has then been augmented
by integrating other radar systems
as well as missiles, uh,
from other countries
into the air defense system
- [inaudible]
that is, uh, NASAMS in Ukraine.
[missile roaring]
[narrator] A handful of systems
were rushed
across the world into
a war already raging.
And within weeks,
they proved their worth.
Since the very beginning,
when it appeared
in... in, uh, fall 2022,
that was exactly the same time
when, uh, Russia started
massive missile, cruise missile attack
on critical national infrastructure.
And NASAMS appeared just on time.
[narrator] It was the first
time the system would face war.
Years of design and testing
were about to meet real rockets overhead.
[birds chirping]
[missile hissing]
We knew that the weapon system would work
if we did all the right things.
We had the live-fire program.
We knew that we were, you know,
up... up to 90%.
But in real combat,
that's something else.
[narrator] In one attack,
Ukrainian crews brought down
eleven Russian cruise missiles
in less than two minutes.
[missile hissing]
[alarm blaring]
[muffled explosion]
- [distant gunfire]
I believe in two minutes,
11 cruise missiles
were intercepted like in one salvo.
So you can imagine how
effective this system...
[birds chirping]
[narrator] And behind that
moment was a commander...
[inaudible]
whose calm under fire became history.
[man speaking foreign language]
[keyboard clacking]
[inaudible]
[missiles roaring]
[narrator] Since then,
NASAMS has intercepted
more than 1000 missiles
and aerial threats.
[Denys] Most of them are cruise missile.
So you can imagine how many
critical national infrastructure,
how many civilian lives
saved this system.
[engine rumbling]
[narrator] What began in
minutes over one city
became a daily defense
from border to border.
[siren wailing]
We had, uh, an event when
one asset was attacked
by 36 cruise missiles,
and most of them being
intercepted by only one NASAMS battery.
So guys just fastly
reloaded their launchers
to achieve such great result.
There are no weapon systems that perfect.
But they managed to get
that result on day one.
And I felt a sense of relief.
I think, "Okay, guys,
now you got it."
You put it in the right place.
You did it.
Okay, now, now you can...
"You can start fight...
Fighting back."
[missile roaring]
[narrator]
But success has consequences.
- Russia adapted, changing flight
paths, - [fire crackling]
hardening their cruise missiles
and refining their tactics.
Even though Russia trying
to improve their tactics
to make their cruise missile
harder, more protected,
still we... we have now
effectiveness not less than 90%.
[narrator]
In Ukraine, NASAMS cruise
pushed the system beyond its design,
reloading in the field, firing
and relocating constantly.
The challenge in... in Ukraine
is that, um, they don't have
the time available to
perform the recommended
maintenance in between the firings.
So they just have to
re... reload the launcher again
and be ready for li... almost
like an artillery system.
[narrator] Air defense
isn't just about missiles.
It's about protection.
Purpose and survival.
No one wants war, but when it comes,
those who can defend... must.
Nobody wants war.
Nobody.
But when... when this happens,
that we can make a difference
and show why we are here,
I think that is something
we are very proud of.
And the work we do to...
To help out is... is critical.
[heroic music]
It is a clear object, uh, clear statement
from our politicians that we're
supporting Ukraine.
And we are.
Because this war is happening now.
And it's a war in Europe.
And it's tragic.
[music intensifies]
[music fades]
[soft rumble]
[conversations in foreign language]
[narrator] Ukrainian crews
now come to Norway
to learn NASAMS firsthand.
Each rotation builds
skill and confidence.
Soldiers training not for
theory, but for survival.
And automatic...
- Now, this was a system that they didn't have.
So we had to...
take them in and teach them
how to use the system.
[man] ...points to remember...
[narrator] What began as instruction
has become collaboration.
[speaking foreign language]
A living alliance forged
through necessity
and shared purpose.
Now we look at from unknown to friend.
We try to give them both
the theoretical package
that they need to understand the system
and mature with the system.
But also the practical lessons
that they need to
really get into their fingers
to be able to
act on muscle memory.
And then eventually we give leadership
over to the commanders and they...
lead their own units
in the field, mentored by us.
[woman speaking foreign language]
I feel humbled to be able to do this.
The first time I did it...
[speaking faintly]
I was nervous.
Um...
Who am I to meet these people
who s... meet these hardships?
- [inaudible] - And then what
can I teach them to help them?
But as we continued to train them,
I realized this is our...
Our chance to give something to them.
[dramatic music swells]
And make sure you have, uh,
on the quick VCS tab,
selected your weapon control volume.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] In weeks, the
students become defenders.
[man speaking foreign language]
[button clicks]
[beeping]
[music swells]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
[soft chuckling]
[soldier] I think, uh, the
better part of NASAMS it's...
the most important, it's air defense.
Defense of, uh, our sky.
Because, uh, many civilian
people in Ukraine,
uh, it's, uh, kids, women,
daughters, sons, husbands.
[female instructor] We are
seeing, like, the students
are highly motivated, of course,
and they are progressing really fast.
There are a lot of information
that they have to adapt,
learn and use within those,
uh, weeks they are here.
And, uh, so far they've
been doing, uh, great.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator]
Knowledge here is ammunition,
and they fire it with discipline.
[button clicks]
Okay guys, um, now we will do
the setup of the launcher.
For connectivity,
we will use alternative...
[Kiki] NASAMS system, uh, gets
Ukrainian air defense system stronger.
[male instructor] Remember to
check that the area is clear,
that all of the components
is present, and...
[Kiki] And, uh, that's why
we're here and learn
and we will be... use that
to defend, uh, our country.
Uh, and when I say country,
uh, I mean people.
And then we need
to check, uh, the canisters.
Check!
[woman speaking foreign language]
Because it's, uh...
It's very important.
Now we're going to look at
how we turn the FTC on.
- [indistinct dialogue] - Uh,
so today we're looking at the FTC
and we're just teaching
how to start it up.
There's a lot of different boxes in
there and they each do their own thing.
So we have to go them...
Through them step by step.
The voltage is around, uh,
the correct levels.
I think, uh, is... my favorite
part of the system
is, uh, communication and connection.
Uh, because it's the mostly
important thing in the system.
Power, uh, and now we wanna go through the power system.
- Okay.
Yeah, today we're
trying to, uh, get the signal
with one mast to another mast.
[Ivan] Yeah?
- Yeah.
[Ivan] Alright, so this is the part where
you're better than me.
- [Kiki] Yeah. [chuckles]
[Ivan] Alright,
let's take up the mast, so...
[rattling]
It, uh, looks like, uh,
in Star Wars Starfighter.
[chuckles]
- Pew, pew!
[Ivan] We're in now. Perfect.
- [Kiki] Like that.
Alright.
- Well, you can see he's smiling, so, uh...
And I think that reflects his
performance as well.
He's, uh...
He's doing really good.
[narrator] Soon, their lessons
will be tested
not on screens,
but under fire, back home in Ukraine.
I have a chance to get some knowledge,
uh, about, uh, air defense system NASAMS.
I think I get back in Ukraine
and bring some knowledge about
that system to my, uh, brother-in-arms.
[melancholic music]
[Ivan] Norway and Ukraine have,
uh... they have a long history together.
I believe there was
a king back in, uh, the 1100s
who was, um...
married to, uh, a Ukrainian, uh...
Uh, princess.
So, in a way, it feels
right both historically
to be able to help them out.
They... they smile at you
and they shake your hand
and they say... thank you.
But, um, it always strikes me
that it shouldn't be that way,
it... it should be the
other way around, where we...
We extend our hand to them and
we tell them, "Thank you,"
because they are, uh...
They are the shield of Europe.
And...
it's the least that we could do.
I really hope that we
can continue training,
delivering,
and, uh, saving lives on the battlefield.
[cameraman]
Is Ivan a good teacher?
Sure.
- [both chuckle]
Sure, sure, yeah.
We have some jokes.
Let's not tell them here.
- Surely.
[chuckling]
[music increases]
It's a wrap.
- [all chuckle]
So today if you ask, uh...
If you ask the employees in KDA,
I think, uh, what they're
most proud of is...
uh, seeing the effect of NASAMS
and... and NASAMS's
performance in Ukraine.
[narrator] From the war-torn
skies of Ukraine,
the threat drifts west.
[birds chirping]
[gentle beats]
[gentle guitar music]
Across the border, in Poland,
the Royal Norwegian Air Force
stands watch.
[airplane flying overhead]
Calm, ready, unwavering.
So, what I need for you guys is
to run out there to the radar,
establish it as fast as possible
and then we'll send it over
to the tactical operations cell
and they will do the rest.
Okay? Any questions?
- [soldier] Yeah.
The Norwegian unit here
is a part of the Integrated
Air and Missile defense
from, uh, the NATO mission.
[woman] The AMD battalion
is part of NSATU,
Integrated Air and Missile
defense, uh, here in Poland.
And our mission is to defend
the Logistics, uh, Enabling Node.
It's currently centered here in,
uh, Rzeszw-Jasionka Airport.
[Preben]
Our job is to be the
short and medium-range,
uh, protection of this asset.
[narrator] This is NATO's edge.
A quiet frontier where
peace meets pressure.
Russian jets probe the airspace.
Drones cross lines.
Testing, taunting, watching
who will blink first.
[Preben]
So, the rock here is the...
The air defense logo that we're using
for all the people working here to touch
and, uh, maybe get some, uh,
blessings before their shift.
[narrator]
The Norwegians don't flinch.
[music fades]
So, the battery's name
is Battery 51 Mike.
That's the name for the...
The unit that's operating here.
Uh, previously, uh, the unit, uh, here
named the camp, uh, Camp Shit
because of all the fertilizer
that was in the area.
So we had to change it now
when we did the...[chuckles]
the transfer of authority.
Ah, the r...
When we did the rotation
of the batteries down here,
we... we switched the name
to Battery 51 Mike
because the other battery's,
uh, named 52 Mike. [chuckles]
[birds chirping]
We separate the radars
to be able to expand
the... detection range that
we have on the system.
So we are able to control
the radars remotely
from different, uh,
firing distribution cells.
Multiple radars can contribute to
create a recognized, uh, air picture.
So all of the different radars
can work on the same targets
to give a real-time update on where it is
to be able to engage on it
with our launchers.
So, uh, in a mission like this
where we are placed in a cluster
with other, uh, surface-based,
uh, air defense assets,
we are able to protect 360.
So, the threats can come
from any direction
and we will still be able
to defend the asset.
This is the electro-optical sensor
and, uh, this is a tool that
we use in the NASAMS
to be able to do kill assessment
and also verify what
we see with the radars.
So we can separate
the... the strength
of the track and we can also,
uh, investigate if we are able
to shoot it down
uh, in terms of the kill assessment.
[airplane engine rumbling]
- [intriguing music]
[narrator] Their mission is
vigilance, not escalation.
To respond but never react.
Okay guys, we are gonna do
exercise to get all launcher up.
Any questions?
Our teams are actually very tireless...
[chuckles] in, uh, performing
their mission.
So, uh...
Um...
normally they...
train on their reloads or
heightened alert states.
No? Okay. Are we ready?
[male soldier] Yes.
- Ready, set, go!
[music increases]
[indistinct shout]
[narrator]
They've come not to fight,
but to keep the peace intact.
Our main effort is to make sure that
the Polish and NATO
airspace is, uh, secured,
and that the... the support
into Ukraine can, uh, continue.
[airplane engine rumbling]
[speaking foreign language]
Uh, good, uh, work, guys. Uh...
And also, uh, faster than the last time.
So very good job...
[narrator]
For Norway, this deployment
is a promise that Europe's borders
will not be violated without consequence.
[inaudible]
- And that peace, once broken,
will always be rebuilt stronger.
[Hege] We are fully integrated
with both, uh, German allies,
uh, Polish allies and we also, um...
do some training with the...
The Americans in the area.
[whirring]
It's a great...
Great way to,
uh, get to...
do a mission with our allies,
uh, in support, uh, to Ukraine.
Okay, so that was very effective.
The establishment went very smoothly.
[narrator] From Ukraine's skies
to Poland's forests,
the same shield endures.
Forged in Norway, trusted by NATO
and held steady by the quiet courage
of those who stand beneath it.
[Preben]
We are next to the FTC now.
I can't, uh, show you inside
because of security reasons.
We are conducting live
operations at the moment
and the operators need, uh,
their space to operate.
Yeah, the Norwegian flag
is, uh, here as a...
A patriotic symbol.
It reminds of, uh... of home.
And, uh, it, uh...
We just had our Constitution Day.
They actually had a
celebration here with a table
and, uh, they had some special food
and, uh...
a lot of cake and some, uh...
Some non-alcoholic bubbles.
- [faint chatter]
Although we were on duty, we were able
to celebrate a bit, yeah.
- [chuckling]
So, it means a lot to us, uh, Norwegians.
We are very proud of our, uh,
Constitution Day and although
we were on duty, it, uh,
still worked out quite nice.
So, seeing what's happening in
Ukraine right now reminds us
how we cannot take
the freedom for granted.
So, being able to celebrate our own,
uh, Constitution Day the way we do
is, uh... is important to us,
especially when we are soldiers out here.
Uh, what we're doing now is
also fighting for our own freedom
'cause we... we represent
a military unit
that, uh, is, uh...
Is fighting for, uh, other people's, uh,
freedom elsewhere in the world.
[heroic music]
We may not be the biggest,
but, uh, we are powerful.
I am, uh, extremely proud to be
working on this mission.
It is important, uh, for me,
for my country,
for Ukraine and for the
safety of, uh, the whole world.
[speaks foreign language]
[faint chatter]
- [Hege chuckles]
[Hege]
It's very rewarding to be here,
- not far from the border to
Ukraine, - [inaudible]
uh, and make sure...
Making sure that they
have the support, uh, that they need.
- [indistinct chatter] - But also
to stand by our allies at the border
to make sure that, uh...
both the Polish
and the NATO airspace
is secured and safe.
[inaudible]
[solemn music]
[yvind] An air defender, he is
given a task to protect,
for instance, an air force base
or some other critical infrastructure
or an area.
- [beeping]
[narrator] There are just two of
them in the combat positions.
Two minds, one mission.
- [beeping]
[yvind] Then it's your
job to defend that area
by using the effectors
of the NASAMS systems,
which for a long time
have been the...
The AMRAAM missiles.
[narrator]
One tracks the picture.
[beeping continues]
The other weighs the risk.
[yvind]
And the air defender's job...
is in an integrated system
because that's important.
Because he or she will get warnings
from the air surveillance sites
that possible threats are incoming.
0-1-1, this call sign's in action.
[rapid beeping]
- [music intensifies] - [narrator]
A shape appears on the screen.
Hostile track, 1-2-7-9.
Single allocation.
Enable fire.
[narrator]
Altitude, speed, intent.
[Vidar] We'll first get
alert that... that there's
an attack coming, if you're lucky.
But you can get some
alerts if you're not.
The first thing you see is that
you have some pop-ups on your display.
Check 2-0-1-5.
[narrator] Is it friend or foe?
Worth a missile?
What's below it?
Who else is in range?
Hostile track, 1-2-3-7.
Single allocation...
First processor, are there
any good guys here?
Identification.
Hostile track, 1-2-1-1.
Ripple allocation...
[narrator] This is not reflex.
This is triage under pressure.
- [multiple beeping]
Sometimes the answer is "hold."
- [man speaks indistinctly]
Sometimes it is "fire."
[Vidar] But it's this mental
thing that you see
this gorilla barreling down your way.
You go, "What do I do now?
Okay, how can I handle that?"
[narrator] And sometimes
the right call is to let it go,
saving a missile for
a later, deadlier moment.
That's where the war is fought.
Hostile track, 1-2-3-1.
Single allocation.
1-2-3-1, firing.
[narrator]
When they press the button...
[whooshing]
- [deep rumble]
[missile hissing]
there is no cheering.
[siren blaring]
There is a quiet confirmation,
a shared look, and then the waiting.
[beeping]
Watching the intercept on the screen
as though it were theater
slowed to match a heartbeat.
[deep rumble]
[distant explosion]
Target destroyed.
[yvind]
This is a continuous job you do
until... the sky is clear.
[film whirring]
[narrator]
The story of air defense
is, at its heart, the story of time.
And the unending quest to get
that extra vital second.
[speaking foreign language]
[pensive music]
Each generation inherits that duty.
To see further than the enemy.
- [inaudible]
- Go! - [narrator] Think
faster than the threat...
[indistinct shouts]
and to execute without error.
[Heidi] The future of NASAMS
is to go higher and lower.
To make it a full-spectrum air
defense capable system.
- [inaudible] - [Lars]
Yeah, I think it's gonna be
the backbone for Norway,
so it's gonna be good.
It's a bright future.
[Vidar] When we're moving into
the next macro trends,
quantum computing
and artificial intelligence,
what we see will come our way,
and we are ready for that.
[narrator] NASAMS is the
definitive chapter in that ongoing story.
The legacy of people who refuse
to let the sky belong to anyone else.
[music increases]
[yvind] If you shoot down a missile
or a drone or whatever it is that's about
to attack you, you're saving lives.
That's what the NASAMS system,
and other GBAD systems,
is doing every day.
[narrator] What began as Norway's
quiet experiment has become
something far greater.
A global guardian born in the
service of peace.
I think the Norwegian spirit in NASAMS
is to maximize what you
can do with minimal resources.
[yvind] I'm really grateful for
those, uh, wise decisions
that they did back in the '80s.
That was, uh, basically the driver
for the implementation of the
NASAMS system.
[inaudible]
[Olav] I'm... I'm very impressed.
When I was a cadet
at the Air Force Academy back in 1955,
my impressions of Kongsberg
and the team working there
continuously on a missile
development cycle
over the next 70 years
impresses me tremendously,
and does so today.
[Ivan] I know that this system
makes a difference.
- We will keep on doing this for
a while longer. - [inaudible]
I'm more than happy to do so,
for as long as it takes.
And I really, really hope that we get
to continue doing this once this is over.
[faint chuckling]
[Vidar] I've been doing this for a while.
I... I was so lucky I got in
at the start in '87.
[inaudible]
- And I... I left, uh, in...
In '98, the Air Force, and
then the continuation.
You're an air defender for life.
[Eirik] The people working here
is what I'm proud of.
- Everybody's contributing to develop
what we are doing. - [inaudible]
We are in the forefront when it comes to,
especially on the defense side,
making a difference in the world.
[missile hissing]
We never expected, I never expected it
to be tested in war, as it did.
And of course, that puts another
magnitude of meaningfulness.
- [inaudible]
Always meaningful to work for Kongsberg,
and that meaningfulness...
And that is...
something to get emotional about.
[soft chuckle]
[pensive music]
[narrator] Born of necessity,
forged in partnership,
proven in war,
and still, at its heart,
a machine of peace.
[muffled rumbling]
[music fades lightly]
[music fades into deep whooshing]
[deep rumble]