Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed an initial contract valued at MNOK 489 (A$71m) with the Commonwealth of Australia for Naval Strike Missile (NSM) capability.
On 5 April 2022, the Federal Government announced the accelerated acquisition of the NSM to replace the Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile on the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac class frigates and Hobart class destroyers. The NSM will more than double the current maritime strike range of those ships.
In that announcement, the government forecast installation of the NSM from 2024.
“Signing this initial contract to commence the acquisition of an Australian NSM capability is a very important milestone," Øyvind Kolset, Executive Vice President Missile Systems in Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, stated. "This is a clear demonstration of KONGSBERG’s commitment to the accelerated delivery of NSM to the Royal Australian Navy to meet their requirements."
Developed in Norway, Kongsberg’s NSM is a fifth-generation, long-range, precision strike missile designed to defeat heavily protected maritime targets in contested environments.