US Navy fires Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile
Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) has been fired from a US Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) at the Point Mugu test range in California. Kongsberg has reported that test objectives were met, and the demonstration was successful.
The missile was launched from LCS USS Coronado as part of demonstrations for the US Navy. The missile followed the pre-planned trajectory towards a target ship at 100nm; locating and hitting the target at the preselected hit point.
The test provided the US Navy insights into the NSM’s capabilities of targeting, range and survivability. This is the first time a ship of this class has launched a long-range anti-ship strike missile, and the first time a US Navy vessel has fired the NSM.
Pål Bratlie, executive vice president, Kongsberg Defence Systems, said: ‘We are very pleased that the US Navy evaluates the NSM missile. This contract does not however include any commitment for the US Navy beyond the test. The missile is in series production for Norway and Poland, and this test has enabled the US Navy to study it closer in a realistic scenario.’
Kongsberg’s NSM is a new generation long-range precision strike missile, guided with an inertial navigation system aided by a military GPS receiver and laser altimeter. The NSM with its stealthy design and passive infra-red and imaging sensor makes it very hard to detect, increasing the accuracy avoiding collateral damage. The NSM is multi mission (sea- and land targets) with a long stand-off range of more than 100nm.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?]()
Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?
The effort to provide the US Navy with Trump-class battleships might face financial, production and doctrinal obstacles.
-
![How will SAFE shape naval procurement for Canada and its highest-receiving members?]()
How will SAFE shape naval procurement for Canada and its highest-receiving members?
Canada’s inclusion on the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative is set to enhance the country’s defence procurement strategy with important implications for some of its naval programmes, while Poland and Romania have also secured significant SAFE funding.
-
![Thales wins DE&S contract for portable autonomous command centres]()
Thales wins DE&S contract for portable autonomous command centres
The agreement to provide portable autonomous command centres to the UK Royal Navy will enhance the service’s Mine Counter Measure operations and further integrate autonomous and uncrewed systems into its fleet.
-
![Maritime defence in the Mediterranean faces challenges from vulnerable land power]()
Maritime defence in the Mediterranean faces challenges from vulnerable land power
As an indispensable energy crossroads, the Mediterranean is at serious risk from grey zone disruption. As navies increasingly employ AI data centres, what happens when cutting-edge defence technologies rely on the very infrastructure most susceptible to hybrid tactics?
