Norwegian defence company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has received an order from Raytheon Missiles & Defense for Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs).
As informed, the order is placed for the US Navy Over-The-Horizon Weapon System (OTH WS) program. The value of the latest deal is NOK 328 million ($33.3 million).
Raytheon is the prime contractor to the US Navy.
The order is related to the OTH WS framework agreement announced 31 May 2018 with a total cumulative scope of NOK 7.8 billion ($792.8).
In July 2016, Raytheon and Kongsberg announced they were finalizing plans to assemble, integrate and test the Naval Strike Missile at Raytheon’s missile plants in Tuscon, United States. They also evaluated plans to produce NSM launchers in the US.
“We register a significant increase in the annual call-offs. This creates jobs and demand for increased production capacity, both for us and our suppliers. As announced at KONGSBERG’s CMD in June, the company has started a significant investment in a new missile factory,” said Director of the Missile Systems division Øyvind Kolset .
The NSM is a 3.96m long missile capable of targeting enemy ships at distances up to 100 nautical miles away. The sub-sonic missile weighs 407 kilograms and has a combined blast and fragmentation warhead.
In 2019, the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) became the first US Navy littoral combat ship to launch the NSM in an integrated setup. The NSM was launched during Pacific Griffin, a biennial exercise conducted near Guam.