Want to distribute lethality? Here’s one solution

A Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is launched from the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) during missile testing operations off the coast of Southern California. The missile scored a direct hit on a mobile ship target

APRIL 9, 2015 — At the recent Surface Navy Association National Symposium, the buzz phrase was “distributed lethality.” Rear Admiral Peter Fanta, the Navy’s director for Surface Warfare explained it this way: “If it floats, it fights, that’s ‘distributed lethality’ (…) Make every cruiser, destroyer, amphib, LCS, a thorn in somebody else’s side.”

One arms maker that would like to help the Navy distribute a whole lot of lethality is Norway’s Kongsberg. Its Naval Strike Missile (NSM) provides superior strike capability against land and sea targets with a range in excess of 200 kilometers. It is the main weapon for Norway’s new frigates and corvettes and for Poland’s land-based coastal defense. It has also just been given a letter of award to supply NSM systems for six Littoral Combat Ships that Malaysia’s Boustead Naval Shipyard is to design build and for the Royal Malaysian Navy based  on the DCNS “Gowind class” design.

The U.S. Navy got insights into the capabilities of the NSM last September  in missile testing operations off the coast of Southern Californiai using the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4). The missile scored a direct hit on a mobile ship target.

Today, Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) announced it had formed a teaming agreement with Kongsberg for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM).

“The pact represents a second step in the companies’ efforts to offer world-class Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) solutions to the many governments interested in this warfare mission,” said a statement. “Raytheon and Kongsberg formed a similar agreement last year to develop the Joint Strike Missile, the air-launched version of the NSM.”

“Raytheon and Kongsberg have a proud history of consistent partnerships to produce and improve the world’s most trusted weapon systems,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “This agreement enables us to bring a complete suite of solutions to the warfighter for the critical OASuW mission.”

“We are very pleased to be extending our teaming with Raytheon to also include the proven NSM,” said Harald Annestad, Kongsberg Defense Systems president. “Together we will be able to leverage Norway’s investment favorably for all our allies to solve the critical OASuW mission.”