Raytheon Company has announced on Monday that it will integrate the Naval Strike Missile into the U.S. Marine Corps’ existing force structure under a $47.59 million Other Transaction Authority agreement with Marine Corps Systems Command.
“The Naval Strike Missile will help the U.S. Marines defend against enemy ships from land,” Raytheon said on Twitter.
The U.S. Marine Corps’ NSM supports the 2018 National Defense Strategy and Commandant of the Marine Corps modernization efforts.
NSM is a long-range, precision strike missile that can detect and destroy heavily defended land and sea targets at long distances. In 2018, the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon a contract to manufacture and deliver NSM as the Navy’s over-the-horizon weapon system for littoral combat ships and future frigates. The Marine Corps’ selection of the Navy’s anti-ship missile enhances joint interoperability and reduces costs and logistical burdens.
“This fifth-generation missile adds another dimension for sea control operations and for protection from adversary warships,” said Kim Ernzen, vice president of Raytheon Air Warfare Systems.
NSM is the latest product produced in partnership with Norway and its defense leader Kongsberg. A mobile, land-based NSM is deployed with Poland’s coastal defense forces.
Raytheon builds launchers for the Naval Strike Missile in the United States and has plans to leverage its extensive supply base to build the missile and other components in the U.S. as well.
Domestic production of this over-the-horizon solution creates American jobs and continues a tradition of building world-class defense systems with our longtime ally, Norway. It represents a world-class partnership between Raytheon, the world’s largest missile maker and Kongsberg, Norway’s premier supplier of defense systems.
Additionally, the Mobile Land-Based Anti-Ship Fires FCT successfully demonstrated the NSM during the 2018 Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, exercise.