Kongsberg’s Latest Missile Test

Just south of gCaptain HQ this summer, Kongsberg Defense Systems, the military arm of the large Norwegian company better known for Dynamic Positioning systems, conducted the first test of their new stealth anti-ship missile.

Coined the Naval Strike Missile, Kongsberg’s latest and greatest cruise missile (and the only fifth-generation long range precision strike missile that has passed such tests), as it skims over the Pacific Ocean before penetrating a cargo container atop its target. As seen in the video above, the missile didn’t hit the ship itself, but Navy sources tell gCaptain that the container was probably the intended target.

The state-of-the-art missile weighs about 400 kg (880 lb) and has a range of 100 nautical miles, both along the coast and in the open ocean. It uses the latest systems that Kongsberg has created for its DP and navy systems including GPS, inertial and terrain reference systems to guide the missile to its target. Specific to fifth generation missiles the NSM makes a random high-G-force maneuver in order to avoid countermeasures before it strikes the target with up to a 275 pound warhead. The NSM is also capable of independent, target detection and identification through its imaging infrared (IIR) seeker and on-board target database.

Gizmodo tells us the missile is being developed as the basis for the Joint Strike Missile program to be carried aboard Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II “Joint Strike Fighters” when they enter service. The Royal Norwegian Navy has also already chosen it for service aboard Fridtjof Nansen class frigates and Skjold class patrol boats as well as by the Polish Navy.

Updated: December 15, 2011 (Originally published September 26, 2011)

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