Nammo


Nammo, short for Nordic Ammunition Company, is a Norwegian/Finnish aerospace and defence group specialized in production of ammunition, rocket engines and space applications. The company has subsidiaries in Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland the United States, and Canada. The company is owned 50/50 by the Norwegian Government and the Finnish defence company Patria. The company has its headquarters in Raufoss, Norway.
The company has five business units: Small Caliber Division, Medium & Large Caliber Division, Missile Products Division, Demil Division and Nammo Talley.

History

Nammo was founded in 1998 by Raufoss, Patria, and Celsius. The Lapua cartridge factory in Finland is also part of the Nammo group as Nammo Lapua Oy. In 2005, the present joint ownership between Patria and the Norwegian Government was established.
In 2007, Nammo acquired the US munitions company Talley, Inc. after purchasing 100% of its shares. In 2009, it was revealed the Israeli Defense Forces purchased 28,000 M72 LAWs from Nammo Talley, along with weapons parts and training missiles valued at NOK 600 million. These munitions would later be used in Operation Cast Lead. According Nammo Raufoss Administrative Director Lars Harald Lied, the company also produces 12.7mm "multi-purpose" ammunition that is used by both American and Norwegian soldiers in the War in Afghanistan, often in contravention of international law.
In addition to alleged international law violations, the company has also caused controversy in Norway, whose laws prohibit Norwegian companies from selling munitions for conflict purposes. Nammo Information Director Sissel Solum alleges that Nammo bears no responsibility for the use of their munitions after purchase, although some claim that this is a breach of the intended spirit of national export regulations. The company has also been able to circumvent Norwegian laws and avoid prosecution by outsourcing manufacturing to plants in the US, Finland, and Sweden.

Products

Missile propulsion

Nammo produces the following missiles and missile propulsion systems:
In January 2013, Nammo and the Andøya Rocket Range spaceport announced that they would be "developing an orbital Nanosatellite launch vehicle rocket system called North Star that will use a standardized hybrid motor, clustered in different numbers and arrangements, to build two types of sounding rockets and an orbital launcher" that would be able to deliver a nanosat into polar orbit.

Small caliber ammunition

As of 2018, Nammo produces the following non-exhaustive list of medium and large caliber ammunition:
In 2019 Nammo was awarded an ESA contract to initiate development of a reusable rocket engine for the ascent stage of the HERACLES lunar lander. The engine may be fed by electrically driven pumps, from low pressure propellant tanks, which may enable in-space refueling.