The Netherlands is expanding its layered air-defense architecture under the CITADEL programme through a new Kongsberg contract worth 1.5 billion Norwegian krone, around $155 million. The agreement provides additional NOMADS short-range air-defense systems and expands the country’s existing NASAMS capability. NOMADS is intended to protect mobile ground formations from short-range aerial threats by bringing radar, command-and-control equipment, and missiles together on a highly mobile armored vehicle. The system can engage several types of airborne targets, including unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles, helicopters, and conventional aircraft. Its architecture allows it to operate as part of a broader NATO-compatible network and complement NASAMS. Under the CITADEL concept, NASAMS is responsible for medium-range air defense, while NOMADS provides a more mobile close-range layer. A current NOMADS configuration carries four AIM-9X Block II missiles and incorporates a 3D radar, cameras, and a remote weapon station. The Netherlands’ air-defense modernization has also expanded to other systems. Kongsberg and Rheinmetall signed a December 2025 agreement to integrate Kongsberg’s command-and-control technology with the Skyranger 30 mobile air-defense platform. Together, these programmes demonstrate the Dutch focus on combining different sensors and effectors into a connected, layered defensive network.
