Kongsberg has signed a contract with the New Zealand Defense Force for an undisclosed number of Penguin Mk 2 Mod 7 anti-ship missiles and associated equipment.

The missiles will be deployed on the New Zealand navy's new Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopters, Kongsberg said in a written statement.

"The contract is for a limited number of missiles, however, it is considered an important upgrade of New Zealand's navy," Pal Bratlie, executive vice president of Kongsberg Defense Systems, said.

The U.S. State Department gave the green light to Kaman Corp. in June 2012 to pursue the possible sale of its SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopters to New Zealand.

Initial discussions were for 11 I-version helicopters, a full-motion flight simulator, training aids and spares inventory. Also included are publications, an introduction-into-service program and through-life support of the aircraft.

Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman confirmed during a presentation of a revised Defense Capability Plan in November that New Zealand had signed a $242 million contract with Kaman Aerospace in May.

The deal is for the purchase of eight I-version Seasprites and two spare airframes.

The first three aircraft are due to be transferred from the Kaman facility in Connecticut to New Zealand in early 2015, with all eight helicopters scheduled to be in service during 2016.

The I-version can be flown in extreme sea environments from the arctic to the equatorial regions. It has fully integrated tactical avionics systems capable of being operated by a crew of two.

The first Kaman SH-2 Seasprites were developed in the late 1950s as a fast utility helicopter for the U.S. Navy. Improvements have added superior avionics, but the last SH-2G versions were retired by the U.S. Navy in 2001.

Export orders continue for new and renovated SH-2G(I) helicopters, a pure maritime version for surface surveillance, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, search-and-rescue, troop deployment as well as general utility missions.

Kongsberg Gruppen, parent company of Kongsberg Defense Systems, recently announced its Joint Strike Missile had completed a compatibility fit-check with Boeing for use on Boeing's F-18E/F fighter.

The Joint Strike Missile is a long-range weapon with a low radar signature, extreme sea-skimming capability and variable speed. It features autonomous target recognition with identification of targets to ship-class levels and has an advanced engagement planning system reads the geography in the area of operations.

Kongsberg plans to conduct wind tunnel testing of a model with the missile early next year.

Kongsberg announced this year that Microsoft Norway General Manager Hege Skryseth, 45, will join the company as vice president for corporate business development.

Skryseth, who started in September, was Microsoft's general manager for nearly four years and has more than 10 years as a senior executive in the IT industry. Before working at Microsoft Norway, she was chief executive of Geogroup, a Norwegian distributor for the U.S. company ESRI, a maker of geographic mapping systems.