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The Naval Strike Missile is a long-range, precision strike weapon that seeks and destroys enemy ships at distances greater than 100 nautical miles. It immediately advances the U.S. Navy’s vision of distributed lethality, ensuring control and freedom of the seas.

Sea-based

The Naval Strike Missile eludes enemy radar and defense systems by performing evasive maneuvers and flying at sea-skimming altitude. NSM uses an advanced seeker for precise targeting and carries a 500-pound class warhead with a programmable fuze.

In 2018, the Navy selected the Naval Strike Missile for its over-the-horizon defense of littoral combat ships and future frigates. The USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) launched NSM in 2019 during Pacific Griffin, a biennial exercise conducted near Guam.

Land-based

NSM is also suited for land attack missions because it can climb and descend with the terrain. It was successfully tested in a land-based mobile launcher configuration in 2018 as part of a multination military exercise.

In 2019, the U.S. Marine Corps integrated a land-based Naval Strike Missile into its force structure, sharing costs and interoperability with the Navy.

Domestic production

Raytheon has teamed with the Norwegian defense company Kongsberg Defence Aerospace to bring the fifth-generation missile stateside. The company builds launchers for the Naval Strike Missile in the United States, and is using its extensive supply base to build the missile and other components in the U.S. as well.

Known for its "sea-skimming" capability, the Naval Strike Missile can fly at very low altitudes over water and land. (Photo: Kongsberg)
Known for its "sea-skimming" capability, the Naval Strike Missile can fly at very low altitudes over water and land. (Photo: Kongsberg)
Kongsberg employees in Norway assemble a subcomponent of the Naval Strike Missile’s seeker. Raytheon Missiles & Defense has teamed with Kongsberg to bring the fifth-generation missile stateside. (Photo: Kongsberg)
Kongsberg employees in Norway assemble a subcomponent of the Naval Strike Missile’s seeker. Raytheon has teamed with Kongsberg to bring the fifth-generation missile stateside. (Photo: Kongsberg)
The U.S. Navy conducted a successful demonstration of the Naval Strike Missile on the littoral combat ship USS Coronado, as part of the Foreign Cooperative Test Program. (Photo: U.S. Navy)
The U.S. Navy conducted a successful demonstration of the Naval Strike Missile on the littoral combat ship USS Coronado, as part of the Foreign Cooperative Test Program. (Photo: U.S. Navy)
The Naval Strike Missile is deployed on two classes of Royal Norwegian Navy ships: Skjold-class missile corvettes and Fridtjof Nansen-class Aegis frigates. (Photo: Kongsberg)
The Naval Strike Missile is deployed on two classes of Royal Norwegian Navy ships: Skjold-class missile corvettes and Fridtjof Nansen-class Aegis frigates. (Photo: Kongsberg)
The Naval Strike Missile has a range of over 100 nautical miles, and its sophisticated flight capabilities allow it to reach targets in the most challenging environments. (Photo: Kongsberg)
The Naval Strike Missile has a range of over 100 nautical miles, and its sophisticated flight capabilities allow it to reach targets in the most challenging environments. (Photo: Kongsberg)
The Naval Strike Missile is operational on land and at sea, and can climb and descend according to the terrain when it travels over land. (Photo: Kongsberg)
The Naval Strike Missile is operational on land and at sea, and can climb and descend according to the terrain when it travels over land. (Photo: Kongsberg)