Naval Strike Missile NSM Norway

The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA), and whose initial serial production contract was signed in June 2007. It has been chosen by the Royal Norwegian Navy for its new Fridtjof Nansen class frigates and Skjold class patrol boats. It was reported in December 2008 that NSM has been selected to be ordered by the Polish Navy.

The original Norwegian name was Nytt sjømålsmissil (literally New sea target missile); the English marketing name Naval Strike Missile was adopted later.

Naval Strike Missile Design and features

The state-of-the-art design and use of composite materials is meant to give the missile sophisticated stealth capabilities. The missile will weigh slightly more than 400 kg (880 lb) and have a range of at least 185 km (100 nm). Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is designed for littoral waters ("brown water") as well as for open sea ("green and blue water") scenarios.

Like its Penguin predecessor, Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is able to fly over and around landmasses, travel in sea skim mode, and then make random manoeuvres in the terminal phase, making it harder to stop by enemy countermeasures. While the Penguin is a yaw-to-turn missile, NSM is based on bank-to-turn flight (see Yaw (flight) and flight control).

The target selection technology provides Naval Strike Missile (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 an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker and an onboard target database. NSM is able to navigate by GPS, inertial and terrain reference systems.

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

Naval Strike Missile
Type	littoral/open sea anti-ship/land attack cruise missile
Place of origin	Norway
Service history
Used by	Norway, Poland
Production history
Manufacturer	Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Specifications
Weight	410 kg
Length	3.95 m
Warhead	125 kg HE fragmentation
Detonation mechanism	programmable fuze
Engine	solid fuel rocket booster, Microturbo TRI-40 turbojet
Operational range	185 km +
Flight altitude	sea skimming
Speed	high subsonic
Guidance system	inertial, GPS, terrain-reference navigation, imaging infrared homing, target database
Launch platform	naval ships, land-based vehicles

Joint Strike Missile

A multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is in development. This missile is called Joint Strike Missile (JSM) and will feature an option for ground strike and a two-way communications line, so that the missile can communicate with the central control room or other missiles in the air. This missile will be integrated with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II "Joint Strike Fighter". Studies have shown that the F-35 would be able to carry two of these in its internal bays, while additional missiles could be carried externally.

According to Kongsberg, this "multi-role NSM" is the only anti-ship missile that will fit inside the F-35's internal bays. Lockheed Martin and Kongsberg have signed a joint-marketing agreement for this air-launched version of the NSM, as well as an agreement committing both parties to integrating the JSM on the F-35 platform. The project is funded by Norway and Australia. Kongsberg signed a contract for the first phase of development of the JSM in April, 2009, which is scheduled for completion within 18 months.

Improved features for the Joint Strike Missile include:

• Ability to attack sea and land based targets
• Aerial launch platform (F-35)
• Improved range over NSM to 240km
• Long-term, production start in 2013

The JSM will have multicore computers running Integrity real-time operating system from Green Hills Software.