TheNaval Strike Missile (NSM) is ananti-ship andland-attack missile developed by the Norwegian companyKongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA).

Naval Strike Missile
Type	Anti-ship orland attackcruise missile
Place of origin	Norway
Service history
In service	2012–present
Used by	Australia Germany Norway Poland United Kingdom United States
Production history
Manufacturer	Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Unit cost	$2,194,000 (FY 2021)
Specifications
Mass	400 kg (880 lb) with booster 350 kg (770 lb) without booster
Length	3.96 m (13 ft) with booster 3.48 m (11 ft 5 in) bare missile
Width	700 mm (2 ft 4 in) stowed 1.36 m (4 ft 6 in) wings deployed
Warhead	Titanium-cased penetrating blast and controlledfragmentation
Warhead weight	120 kg (260 lb)
Engine	Microturbo TRI-40turbojet withsolid rocket booster
Operational range	>200 km (110 nmi; 120 mi) NSM 250 km (130 nmi; 160 mi) NSM 1A
Flight altitude	Sea skimming optional
Maximum speed	Mach 0.93 (316 m/s; 1,040 ft/s)
Guidance system	GPS-aidedINS (GAINS),laser altimeter,TERCOM, Imaging Infra-Red (IIR)
Launch platform	Naval ships,land-based vehicles, Proposed: Helicopters (NSM-HL - NSM-Helicopter Launched)[1]
References	Janes[2]

The originalNorwegian name wasNytt sjømålsmissil (literally "New sea target missile", indicating that it was the successor of thePenguin missile). The English marketing name Naval Strike Missile was adopted later. According to Kongsberg the NSM/JSM had been selected by Norway, Poland,Malaysia, Germany, the United States,Japan,Romania,Canada,Australia andSpain as of 2022.^[3]

TheJoint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role air-launched version of the NSM currently in development.

The Naval Strike Missile's initial serial production contract was signed in June 2007.^[4] It has been chosen by theRoyal Norwegian Navy for itsFridtjof Nansen-classfrigates andSkjold-classcorvettes. In December 2008 the NSM was selected by thePolish Navy, which ordered fifty land-based missiles (including two for testing) in deals made in 2008 and 2011, with delivery planned for between 2013 and 2016.^[5][6] The final milestone was completed in June 2011 with tests atPoint Mugu.^[7][8] On 12 April 2011, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense announced phase 2 of development.^[9]

On October 10, 2012, the Royal Norwegian Navy fired an NSM for the first time, from the HNoMSGlimt, aSkjold-class patrol boat.^[10] On Wednesday, June 5, 2013, the Royal Norwegian Navy made the first test firing of an NSM missile carrying a live warhead against a target vessel. The decommissionedOslo-classfrigateHNoMSTrondheim was hit and the munition functioned as intended.^[11][12]

In June 2013 Poland completed the Coastal Missile Division equipped with 12 NSMs and 23 vehicles onJelcz chassis (including 6 launchers, 2 TRS-15C radars, 6 fire control vehicles, and 3 command vehicles).^[13] Ultimately, the Coastal Missile Division will be equipped with 12 launchers carrying 4 missiles each for a total of 48 missiles. In December 2014 Poland ordered a second batch of launchers and missiles to equip a Naval Strike Missile battalion.^[14]

In late July 2014, theU.S. Navy confirmed that the NSM would be tested aboard thelittoral combat shipUSS Coronado (LCS-4).^[15] The test occurred successfully on 24 September 2014.^[16] Kongsberg andRaytheon teamed to pitch the NSM to equip the LCS as its over-the-horizon anti-ship missile in 2015.^[17] By May 2017, the extended-rangeBoeingRGM-84 Harpoon andLockheed MartinAGM-158C LRASM had been withdrawn from the Navy's Over-the-Horizon Weapon System (OTH-WS) competition, leaving the NSM as the only remaining contender.^[18] On 31 May 2018, the Navy officially selected the NSM to serve as the LCS' OTH anti-ship weapon. The $14.8 million initial contract award to Raytheon calls for the delivery of Kongsberg-designed "encanistered missiles loaded into launching mechanisms; and a single fire control suite,” and buys about a dozen missiles; the entire contract value could grow to $847.6 million if all contract options are exercised.^[19] The Navy plans to deploy the NSM in late 2019.^[20] The NSM will be designated as theRGM-184A in US service.^[21]

During RIMPAC 2014 the frigateFridtjof Nansen made a successful firing of the NSM during aSINKEX, with the missile impacting and detonating as designed.^[22]

In the LIMA exhibition 2015, Malaysia announced that the Naval Strike Missile had won the contract to fulfil theRoyal Malaysian Navy'sMaharaja Lela-class's anti-ship missile requirement.^[23]

In February 2017, the Norwegian government announced that theGerman Navy will acquire "a significant amount" of Naval Strike Missiles under a deal valued at "more than 10 billionNOK".^[24]

During RIMPAC 2018,USARPAC fired a Naval Strike Missile from the shore to sink a ship.^[25]

In October 2019 theUSSGabrielle Giffords fired off a Naval Strike Missile at a surplus US Navy frigate,USSFord, which was towed close to Guam, in the Pacific, to act as a target in a SINKEX.

According to Naval News in June 2024 the Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Fitzgerald, andHobart-class Guided Missile Destroyer HMAS Sydney, were observed in Honolulu with NSM box launchers during RIMPAC 2024.^[26]

The NSM is to be used by theU.S. Marine Corps as part of the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), which places an NSM launcher unit on anunmannedJLTV-based mobile launch platform to enable the Marines to fire anti-ship missiles from land.^[27][28]

In June 2023 theNorwegian frigateHNoMS Otto Sverdrup fired off a Naval Strike Missile at a surplus corvette in a SINKEX in theNorwegian Sea.^[29]

In August 2024, theAustralian Government announced that a partnership agreement had been signed with Kongsberg's local subsidiary — Kongsberg Defence Australia — for the manufacture and servicing of Naval Strike Missiles for theRoyal Australian Navy at a new purpose built factory.^[30] The factory is to be constructed at the Astra Aerolab Business Park near the city ofNewcastle in New South Wales and will also manufacture theJoint Strike Missile for theRoyal Australian Air Force.^[30][31] Manufacturing of missiles is expected to commence from 2027.^[31]

During theMSPO 2024 defense exhibition it was announced that the NSM missiles will equip Poland'sWicher-class frigates, replacing the previously plannedRBS 15 Mk 3.^[32]

As of 2025, Denmark became the 14th country to procure the Naval Strike Missile, integrating it into itsIver Huitfeldt-class frigates. The deal, valued at approximately €180 million^[33], was conducted through a bilateral agreement with Norway and represents a step in aligning Danish naval capabilities withNATO interoperability goals.

The state-of-the-art design and use ofcomposite materials are meant to give the missile sophisticatedstealth capabilities. The missile will weigh slightly more than 400 kg (880 lb) and have a range of more than 185 km (115 mi; 100 nmi). NSM is designed forlittoral waters ("brown water") as well as for open sea ("green water and blue water") scenarios. The usage of a high-strength titanium alloy blast/fragmentation warhead fromTDW is in line with the modern lightweight design and features insensitive high-explosive.^{[clarification needed]} Warhead initiation is by a void-sensing Programmable Intelligent Multi-Purpose Fuze designed to optimise effect against hard targets.^[34]

Like its Penguin predecessor, NSM is able to fly over and around landmasses, travel insea skim mode, and then make random manoeuvres in the terminal phase, making it harder to stop by enemycountermeasures. While the Penguin is a yaw-to-turn missile, NSM is based on bank-to-turn flight (seeYaw (flight) andflight control). In 2016, it was confirmed by the Royal Norwegian Navy that NSM also can attack land targets.^[35]

The target selection technology provides NSM with a capacity for independent detection, recognition, and discrimination of targets at sea or on the coast. This is possible by the combination of animaging infrared (IIR) seeker and an onboard target database. NSM is able to navigate byGPS,inertial andTERCOM systems.

After being launched into the air by a solidrocket booster which isjettisoned upon burning out, the missile is propelled to its target in high subsonic speed by aturbojet sustainer engine—leaving the 125 kg multi-purpose blast/fragmentationwarhead to do its work, which in case of a ship target means impacting the ship at or near the water line.

An NSM coastal battery consists of three missile launch vehicles (MLV), one battery command vehicle (BCV), three combat command vehicles (CCV), one mobile communication center (MCC), one mobile radar vehicle (MRV) with TRS-15C radar, one transport and loading vehicle (TLV), and one mobile workshop vehicle (MWV). Each MLV carries 4 missiles and can be connected to the CCV by optical fiber or radio up to 10 km (6.2 mi) away; up to 6 launchers with 24 missiles can be netted together at once.^[36] When installed on ships, NSMs can be deck-mounted in packs of one, two, three, four, or six launchers. Total installation weight, including electronics and cabling, is 8,600 lb (3,900 kg) for 4 launchers, 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) for 8 launchers, and 26,000 lb (12,000 kg) for 12 launchers.^[37][38]

At MSPO 2017, a variant of the submarine launched NSM was unveiled.^[39] Spain is interested in this missile for theS-80 Plus submarines.^[40]

In 2024, the Spanish ministry of defence launched a study to evaluate the capacity to equip the NSM missile to itsNH90 HHSPN.^[40]

  Australia

  Royal Australian Navy^[41][42]

• Anzac-classfrigate
• Hobart-classdestroyer

  Netherlands

  Royal Netherlands Navy^[43]

• De Zeven Provinciën-classfrigate
• Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigate (under construction)

  Norway

  Royal Norwegian Navy^[44]

• Skjold-classcorvette
• Fridtjof Nansen-classfrigate

  Poland

  Polish Navy

• Wicher-classfrigate (under construction)^[32]

  United Kingdom

  Royal Navy (a total of 11 vessels from the Type 23 and Type 45 classes to be equipped)^[45][46]

• Type 23-classfrigate^[47]
• Type 45-class destroyer

  United States

  United States Navy^[19]

• Arleigh Burke-classdestroyer[1]
• Freedom-classlittoral combat ship
• Independence-classlittoral combat ship
• Constellation-classfrigate^[48]

  Poland

  Polish Navy:

• Coastal Missile Squadron^[13][49]

  United States

  United States Marine Corps:

• U.S. Marine Corps^[50]

  Belgium

  Belgian Navy^[51]

• Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigate-class (under construction)

  Canada

  Royal Canadian Navy^[52]

• River-class destroyer

  Denmark

  Royal Danish Navy^[53]

• Ivar Huitfeld-class frigates

  Germany

  German Navy^[24][54]

• Baden-Württemberg-classfrigate

  Indonesia

  Indonesian Navy:

• Klewang-classfast attack craft^[55][56]

  Malaysia

  Royal Malaysian Navy:

• Maharaja Lela-classfrigate^[57]
• Lekiu-classfrigate^[58]

  Spain

  Spanish Navy^[59][60][61]

• Álvaro de Bazán-classfrigate
• F110-classfrigate

120 NSM Block IA missiles ordered for €300 million.^[62]

  Latvia

  Latvian Naval Forces^[63][64]

  Romania

  Romanian Naval Forces^[65]

• Delivery expected finished Q4 2028^[66][67]

  India

  Indian Navy^[68]

  Australia

  Australian Army

• Project LAND 8113 - Phase 2, the NSM is competing with Lockheed Martin'sM142 HIMARS firing aPrecision Strike Missile for an Australian Army land-based maritime strike order. Kongsberg and Thales are offering the StrikeMaster, a pair of NSM missiles mounted on a ThalesBushmaster utility vehicle.^[69][70]

  Spain

  Spanish Navy

• S-80 attack submarine^[71][72]

• Official NSM product page at KDA
• Official JSM product page at KDA
• Defpro.com:Norway conducted very successful NSM test firing (Febr 2009)
• Missile.index search – Choose Development-Country: "Norway", then click "Search", then pick "NSM" from the results list (direct linking N/A)
• Kongsberg test fires Naval Strike Missiles –Jane's Navy International, 8 August 2006
• Capital Markets Day 2007 Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace^{[permanent dead link‍]}