The Norwegian parliament has approved a plan to order long-range artillery systems worth $2 billion to strengthen their deterrent capabilities against Russia in the Arctic, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
European countries are increasing their defense spending under pressure from US President Donald Trump.
"These weapons can hit targets far behind enemy lines. This is crucial in modern ways of waging war," Peter Fröhlich, defense spokesman for the opposition party "Høyre" (Conservative Party), told the legislature.
According to the Norwegian newspaper "Aftenposten" The government will order Chunmoo artillery systems manufactured by South Korean company Hanwha Aerospace, as they are considered superior to the HYMARS systems manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin. The South Korean system meets all of Norway's requirements for field artillery, including the ability to hit targets at a distance of up to 500 km, and also has the shortest delivery times.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defense is expected to officially announce the company that won the tender for the supplies soon. The military department has not commented yet.
The Ministry previously said it planned to purchase 16 systems, along with an unspecified number of missiles, for a total cost of 19.5 billion kroner (about 2 billion dollars).
"Hanwha Aerospace" last year signed an agreement with Polish defense company WB Electronics to jointly produce missiles, including the "Chunmu", in Poland.