U.S. Navy chooses Naval Strike Missile for over-the-horizon targets
NewsJune 04, 2018
WASHINGTON. The U.S. Navy has picked the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), made by Raytheon and partner Kongsberg Gruppen (Kongsberg, Norway), to fulfill the need for littoral combat ships and future frigates to have an over-the-horizon missile.
Under the terms of the $14.8 million contract, Raytheon will manufacture and deliver offensive missiles loaded into launching mechanisms and a single fire-control suite; the contract also includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the agreement to $847.6 million.
Information from Raytheon documents shows that NSM is a long-range precision missile that uses advanced seeker and target identification technology to reach defenses up to 100 nautical miles away; it is intended for use against heavily defended land and sea targets. Raytheon will manufacture NSM launchers, missiles and components in the U.S. The company has begun launcher production at its factory in Louisville, Kentucky, and will perform missile final assembly and test at its Tucson, Arizona, facility.
Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems, said of the NSM deal: "Raytheon and Kongsberg are providing the Navy with a proven, off-the-shelf solution that exceeds requirements for the over-the-horizon mission. Because it is operational now, NSM saves the United States billions of dollars in development costs and creates new high-tech jobs in this country."
