The US Marine Corps has tapped Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to produce and support launchers and weapon control systems for its Naval Strike Missile (NSM).
The contract is worth $404.4 million and will run through September 2034.
Under the deal, Kongsberg will carry out 85 percent of the work in Norway, with the remaining 15 percent taking place in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
The NSM is a long-range anti-ship missile that uses an imaging infrared seeker and flies at very low altitude to reduce its exposure to detection before approaching its target.
It has a range of more than 100 nautical miles (115 miles/185 kilometers).
The US Navy’s procurement plan for 2026 called for 90 NSMs for the marine corps, alongside 16 for the navy.
Marine Corps’ NSM
For the US Marine Corps, the NSM is the weapon used by the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a ground-based system that combines the missile with a remotely operated vehicle and a weapon control system.
The service began fielding NMESIS in 2023. It can carry two NSMs.
The system is intended for use by Marine Littoral Regiments operating from dispersed positions along coastlines and islands.
Marines can use the mobile launchers to threaten surface ships while integrating targeting information with broader naval and joint networks.