Norwegian defense company Kongsberg announced on Wednesday that British frigates and destroyers are to be equipped with its made Naval Strike Missile.
The Royal Navy will receive the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), outfitted on Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers, in a collaboration with the Norwegian government.
According to a press release from Kongsberg, the collaboration will result in more ships equipped with the highly sophisticated Naval Strike Missiles which in turn will contribute in enhancing the security in our common areas of interest. Replacing the Harpoon surface-to-surface weapon, due to go out of service in 2023, the world-class anti-ship missile will be ready for operations onboard the first Royal Navy vessel in a little over 12 months.
“Kongsberg is very pleased to welcome the Royal Navy as a member of the NSM User Group. We proudly support the strengthening of defense ties between our nations by integrating the NSM on the Royal Navy’s vessels,” says Executive Vice President in Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Øyvind Kolset.
Norwegian ship-killer missile will replace US-made Harpoon which had been earmarked to go out of service in 2018 but the move was put back to 2023.
The Naval Strike Missile is a long-range, precision strike weapon that can find and destroy enemy ships at distances up to 100 nautical miles away. The stealthy missile flies at sea-skimming altitude, has terrain-following capability and uses an advanced seeker for precise targeting in challenging conditions.