Nordic Defense News, pictures, videos and history

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Ula class submarine

Bilde fra verkstedet "bunker Bruno" i Laksevåg i Bergen

Picture from "Bunker Bruno" in Laksevåg in Bergen

knm utvær i sikte gjennom frontvinduet på en britisk redningsubåt

A norwegian submarine seen through the window of a british deep submersible rescue vessel

They're not too big

Displacement: Surface: 1,040 tons
Submerged: 1,150 tons
Length: 59 m (194 ft)
Beam: 5.4 m (18 ft)
Draft: 4.6 m (15 ft)

 

[Fenrir]

Fire suppression teams

because this is what happens if you don't put it out

They did that on purpose though

 

[Indus Pakistan]

I realize this doesn't have anything to do with Nordic Militaries - as per the conditions of the thread, but I'm putting it here none-the-less. If anyone has a problem with that, take it up with @SvenSvensonov , in 6 months, when his ban is over.

How Volunteers Built a Memorial To One of the Worst Mass Shootings Ever

Today marks four years since a gunman killed 77 people in Norway, 69 of them on the small island of Utøya. In time for the anniversary, the island has unveiled the finished memorial to the victims. But it’s not the memorial officials had originally planned, and the reason why illustrates how difficult memorializing can be for a country.

In May of 2014, we wrote that Norway had selected a design for a permanent memorial on the island, created by a Swedish artist named Jonas Dahlberg. Dahlberg’s plan was dramatic; it required cutting away a huge slice of land from the island to create a thin, 70-foot-wide channel where water could pass and where the names of the victims would be inscribed on the rock cliffs. The idea, he explained, was to create a piece of landscape art that would reflect the void or wound that was left to the victims’ families. “The cut is an acknowledgement of what is forever irreplaceable,” he said.

The plan was very well-received. Online, especially, it got a huge amount of attention. But in the end, the plan was postponed indefinitely—seemingly both because of criticism by locals and by concerns about how it would affect the area. In its place this week, officials unveiled today a different, smaller memorial called The Clearing: A band of steel with the names of the victims carved out of the metal, hanging in tension from tall pines around the area.

Designed by the Bergen-based architects 3RW, it’s a graceful and understated sculpture. But it’s interesting that Dahlberg’s memorial got so much attention yet was left behind—postponed, officially. So what happened? It’s unclear how families of the victims felt about the design, but this beautifully written—even when translated by Google—story in Norway’s Aftenposten about the process of grieving and memorializing on Utøya explains more about the long process of memorializing the attack, diving deep into the history of the island and the history of the AUF, the youth league of Norway’s labor party, which ran the summer camp on the island.

Helle Aarnes, the author of the post, explains that it’s been a long road to come to an agreement about what should happen to the island. One point of contention, in particular, was whether the camp’s buildings should be razed and rebuilt, or whether they should be preserved as sites of grief and remembrance. The AUF even invited experts on memorial design to visit, including Alice Greenwald, who directed the 9/11 Memorial.

The Clearing was actually discovered by the father of one of the victims, and as Aarnes explains, “he wanted to participate in the process of constructing a memorial there. It was decided that the site must meet two requirements: No atrocity should have taken place there, and visitors should be able to withdraw and have a moment of privacy there.”

The families of the victims participated in clearing and building the site, working to create the site and the long winding path down to the clearing themselves. Here’s how the architects explain the importance of the volunteers:

Just by facilitating volunteer efforts and the division of labor, we believe that it can add up to a good process, where the construction of the memorial can also be a part of grief processing, and provide a special relationship to the place of those involved.

The process apparently took a full 8,000 hours of volunteering, much of it from families and friends, according to Aftenposten. Perhaps that’s why a smaller, less grand memorial was selected for the island: It was built by the families and friends of the victims.

The process of building it, it seems, was just as important as the “it.” In the end, the original, very dramatic memorial may have spoken to the outside world about the atrocities that took place on the island, and perhaps to the families and friends of the victims as well. But in the end, the people who were closest to it decided to make their own.

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F**k Breivik!

Very poignant. However for me the way Norway dealt with this tragedy showed the essential greatness of your country. The way you united against evil was most admirable.

I look at Norway and other Sandics as beacon to rest of the world of what is possible ....

 

[Kristian]

The Green Party wants to 6000 professional army with three guns branches remain. Equal amounts in all three weapons disciplines. 2000 soldiers in the army that should be in the south of the country. The reserve amount will be double bigger than the professional army in the north of the country. Today's professional army and the Home Guards is not good for my taste. Riksdan with the RedGreen should come up with this idea that they have wanted last 3-4 years.

Today over 38,500 if I believe right now with 18,600 soldiers in south Home Guards elite I never will.
A Militia of professional soldiers of 15,000 I will.
Other sizes do I not know.

 

[Kristian]

I know 60 Jas E/F.
Two divisions in F21 away.
Two divisions in F7 and F17.
Plus 6-8 new Gripens in Gotland.
20/21/22 new Gripens in outlands.

A Quiz. Or will be A russian buy these Su-30. 10+10 in two divisions. 20 for outlands.

 

[Fenrir]

In 2008, Norway officially transitioned away from the AG3 to adopt the HK416N:

 

[Kristian]

If Austria choise Jas E/F in Sweden can bring Austrias strenght by 15 Eurofighter into Air Force.
One division in F7 plus 5 air planes in Gotland.
This I think about 15 Eurofighter into Air Force.

Amount of war is of no importance of small amount of air planes.
Look at central Europeans theres smaller strenght that's Nordic then Netherlands and Belgium.
Or no air planes in 6000 professional army that Green Party wills.


Or Militia of rebells size in Syria total 15,000 soldiers.

Reserve force will be 12,000 in north in both of sizes.

 

[Fenrir]

CV9030NF1

CV90 is the base vehicle designation. The number after 90 - in this case 30, is the diameter of the main gun.

 

[Fenrir]

Norway is a user of both the Leopard 1 and 2

Some Leopard 1s have been converted into armored bridge layers:

As is Sweden, who occasionally joins us for a joint exercise:

 

[Kristian]

A Militia in rebells in Syria of class are the reserve plane into 2020.
120 go down to 46 Leopard II.
Plannes between 2016-2020 of generals.

--- --- --- ---

A Quiz.

Råmson Mp first president or Löfven S or Åkesson SD about 3 years.

Says about this one? President like in Finland, Russia and USA etc.

 

[Fenrir]

Never been inside a Leopard 2? Me neither, but here's what it looks like:

Cute Norwegian guy included with every vehicle

 

[Kristian]

Thinking 15,000 soldiers is A rebell sizes.

 

[Fenrir]

Norway's Satellites

AIS satellites

The Norwegian satellites AISSat-1 and AISSat-2 monitor maritime traffic in Norwegian and international waters by detecting AIS (Automatic Identification Signals) from ships to determine their position, speed and direction.

AISSat-1 was the first satellite to monitor AIS in real time from polar orbit.

The AIS-system is designed to prevent maritime collisions and all vessels with a gross tonnage larger than 300 tonnes are obliged by international maritime law to carry it.

The first AIS-satellite was launched on the 12th of July 2010 from India to a polar orbit, weighing only 6 kilogrammes and measuring 20 x 20 x 20 centimetres. The second, identical AIS-satellite was launched from Kazakhstan on the 8th of July 2014.

AISSat-1 was primarily intended to demonstrate space based AIS, but the satellite has been so successful that it has become a true work horse in orbit, performing like an operational satellite.

Planning

The planning of the satellite started in the spring of 2005 when the Norwegian Space Centre invited scientists to a workshop and call for proposals for a small satellite.

At the time, technological development had reached a point where even very small satellites could perform important tasks.

The Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI) had previously carried out two project studies on small satellites, although none of these were realized. In addition, two Norwegian student satellites were underway.

Moreover, recent studies of the AIS signal frequency and its environment indicated that space based AIS was feasible, especially over polar regions.

Since both student satellites included an AIS transponder in their payloads, it was clear that these instruments could be made small enough to fit on a satellite.

Thus, FFI's proposal for an AIS-satellite was selected for further development.

Utilization of the polar regions

At the time Norwegian authorities were making plans to develop and utilize the northern regions further and the AISSat project became a part of these plans.

The satellite project was realized as a collaboration between three Norwegian governmental institutions; the Norwegian Space Centre, the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI), as well as two private companies; Kongsberg Seatex and Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT).

The satellite platform itself was purchased from Canada.

Today, the Norwegian Coastal Administration and other governmental institutions are using the data from AISat-1 for a variety of purposes, including monitoring fisheries, oil spills, and maritime traffic, to support anti-piracy operations along the coast of Africa, and other areas of interest to Norway.

AISSat-2 and 3 and Norsat-1

An AISat-1 copy, AISSat-2, was launched on the 8th of July 2014 from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

The Norwegian Space Centre and the Norwegian Coastal Administration are also planning a third copy of AISSat-1, named AISSat-3, which will be a purely operational satellite.

A larger satellite, Norsat-1, is also underway. Norsat-1 will carry both a next generation AIS transponder and scientific instruments.

These include a solar observatory developed in collaboration with ESA and Switzerland, and a space weather instrument developed by Norwegian researchers.

The Norwegian Space Centre recently published a call for proposals for building the satellite platform of Norsat-1.

Read more about Norwegian space-based AIS in Space News.

The Norwegian student satellites

In addition to the "official" satellites, several Norwegian student satellites have been developed.

The first two student satellites were CubeSatellites weighing less than 1 kilogramme. They unfortunately never reached orbit, but were nevertheless successful educational projects.

Currently, three student satellites are in development:

HiNCube has been developed by Narvik University College (HiN) and was launced in November 2013.

CubeStar is being built by the University of Oslo and will do scientific observations of the space weather that surrounds Earth.

The third student satellite is named NUTS and is built by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). This satellite will measure atmospheric waves.

In just a few years there may be as many as 5 or 6 Norwegian satellites in orbit, making Norway a true space nation.

Telenor's satellittes

The Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor has owned and operated satellites in geosynchronous orbit since the early 1990s.

These are the Thor satellites. In 2013 Thor 7 is in development. Thor 2 was recently decomissioned and sent to the graveyard orbit in space after many years in service in geosynchronous orbit.

It will provide standard commercial telecommunications services such as TV, radio, phone and internet connections to a host of international customers, as well as broadband internet to the Norwegian research station Troll in Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.

Infrastructure on the ground

Satellites are infrastructure in space and depend on ground stations and control centres on Earth.

Currently, only one ground station is being used for AISSat-1, but more are under consideration as the need for space based AIS increases.

Several of the educational institutions that are developing student satellites will have their own antennas and equipment to communicate with their satellite.

Telenor has satellite stations both in Norway and internationally for positioning, control, uplink and downlink for their communication satellites.

 

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Marinejegerkommandoen counter-terror exercise

 

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Counter-piracy operations in Somalia

Flaggskipet i Natos anti-piratoperasjon Ocean Shield, KNM Fridtjof Nansen, har et bordingslag bestående av operatører fra Marinejegerkommandoen. Bordingslaget tar seg inn mot kysten av Somalia for å snakke med lokalbefolkningen og observere aktiviteten.