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Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) is contracted by the US Navy to test fire KONGSBERG`s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) under the Foreign Comparative Testing program. The firing was requested by the US Navy to demonstrate the capability to engage a surface target at a range of 100 nautical miles from an LCS class ship. The test is planned to be conducted during September this year from the USS Coronado, an Independence-class LCS.

This demonstration follows a successful NSM live fire event from the Royal Norwegian Navy´s Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate witnessed by the US Navy during the recently completed Rim of the Pacific 2014.

“We are very pleased that the US Navy has decided to evaluate the NSM missile. This contract does not however include any commitment for the US Navy beyond the test, but confirms NSM`s unique capabilities and the test will enable the US Navy to study it closer in a realistic scenario”, says Harald Ånnestad, President Kongsberg Defence Systems.

The NSM is in series production for the Norwegian Navy, the Fridtjof Nansen class frigates and Skjold class coastal corvettes, and the Polish Navy Coastal Squadron system. Deliveries for the platforms are scheduled for 2011-2014.

The NSM is the only 5th generation long range precision strike missile in existence today. The missile combines unsurpassed penetration capability due to “low observable” shape, super sea skim, high-G random maneuvers and I3R (intelligent imaging infra red) seeker with Autonomous Target Recognition (ATR) providing programmable hit-point and optimized fuze-setting,

Link to Naval Strike Missile technical datasheet

The crew of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) successfully performed a live-fire demonstration of a Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) during missile testing operations off the coast of Southern California, Sept. 23.

During the test, the Norwegian-made Kongsberg NSM was launched from the deck of Coronado and scored a direct hit on its intended target, a Mobile Ship Target (MST).
The Kongsberg NSM is a long range precision strike missile designed to be launched from a variety of ships against a variety of targets.
Testing took place on board the Navy’s newest littoral combat ship to show the LCS’ ability to readily accept new weapons systems as part of the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) program.
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of today’s test on board Coronado,” said Vice Adm. Thomas S. Rowden, Commander, Naval Surface Forces. “We view this successful missile test as a possible future warfighting capability for the LCS program.”
Rowden said the Navy is interested in increasing both quantity of firepower and range across the surface fleet.

“Both classes of the LCS are based on modular design concepts,” said Rowden. “This allows for the integration of weapons and sensors like the Kongsberg NSM technology as part of the LCS warfare suite.”
Since 1980, the FCT program has helped the United States and allies reap substantial savings by avoiding research and development costs, lowering procurement costs, reducing risk for major acquisition programs and accelerating the fielding of equipment critical to the reading and safety of operating forces.
Commissioned on April 4, 2014, Coronado was designed to be high-speed, shallow draft multi-mission ship capable of operating independently or with an associated strike group. LCS ships are designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in coastal waters.

WASHINGTON — The littoral combat ship USS Coronado will get a chance at an historic LCS first this fall when it launches a surface-to-surface missile in tests off Southern California.

The US Navy confirmed this week that the Coronado is scheduled to test-launch the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) off Point Mugu, California, where the Naval Air Warfare Center maintains an extensively-instrumented missile range.

The test will follow a successful NSM launch July 10 from the Norwegian frigate Fridtjof Nansen during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises near Hawaii. The frigate fired a single NSM at the decommissioned amphibious ship Ogden and scored a direct hit.

The NSM is a 13-foot-long weapon already in service aboard Norwegian warships and with Polish defense forces in a land-based, truck-mounted version. A helicopter-launched version is under development, and the company recently announced it was working on a smaller, submarine-launched variant.

Kongsberg has been aggressively targeting the US Navy as a potential NSM customer. The LCS, although planned to carry the non-line-of-sight missile, has been without a missile system since the US Army cancelled NLOS development in early 2011. The Navy recently decided to begin development work to adapt the proven Hellfire missile to naval use for the LCS.

The NSM, in the 500-pound class of missile, is significantly larger than the Hellfire, in the 100-pound class. The smaller missile could essentially be a placeholder until a more effective weapon can be identified.

While there have been calls in the service to develop new surface-to-surface missiles, the US Navy emphasized the upcoming NSM tests are not in response to a specific requirement.

“The planned September live-firing demonstration aboard USS Coronado (LCS 4) of the Naval Strike Missile under the Foreign Comparative Testing Program will test the ship’s feasibility to execute an increased anti-surface warfare role,” Lt. Kurt Larson, a spokesman with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, said in a statement.

“Additionally, it will provide insights into the weapon’s stated capabilities of increased range, survivability and lethality.

“While there is currently no requirement for this capability aboard LCS, we view the demonstration as an opportunity to test a possible future warfighting tool,” Larson added.

For now, the US Navy is not committing to anything beyond the September tests.