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Information About

Naval Strike Missile




  Function Littoral / Open Sea Anti-ship / Land Attack Cruise Missile
  Contractor Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
  Engine Solid Fuel rocket booster, Microturbo TRI-40 Turbojet
  Launch Mass 410 Kg
  Length 395 M
  Speed high Subsonic
  Range 160 Km
  Flying Altitude Sea Skimming
  Warhead 125 Kg HE Fragmentation
  Guidance Inertial , GPS , Terrain-reference navigation, Imaging Infrared Homing , data link, target database
  Fuzes programmable Fuze


The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an Anti-ship and Land-attack Missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) , and whose initial serial production contract was signed in June 2007. It has been chosen by the Royal Norwegian Navy for its new '' Fridtjof Nansen '' class frigates and '' Skjold '' class patrol boats.


The original Norwegian name was Nytt sjømålsmissil (literally ''New sea target missile''); the English marketing name Naval Strike Missile was adopted later.


DESIGN AND FEATURES


The state-of-the-art design and use of Composite Material s is meant to give the missile sophisticated Stealth capabilities. The missile will weigh slightly more than 400 Kg (880 Lb ) and have a range of at least 160 Km (100 Mi ). NSM is designed for Littoral waters (" Brown Water ") as well as for open sea (" Green And Blue Water ") scenarios.

Like its Penguin predecessor, NSM is able to fly over and around landmasses, travel in Sea Skim mode, and then make random manoeuvres in the terminal phase, making it harder to stop by enemy Countermeasure s. While the Penguin is a yaw-to-turn missile, NSM is based on bank-to-turn flight (see Flight Control ).

The target selection technology provides NSM with a capacity for independent detection, recognition, and discrimination of targets at sea or on the coast. This is possible by the combination of an Imaging IR (IIR) Seeker and an onboard target database. NSM is able to navigate by GPS , Inertial and Terrain Reference systems.

After being launched into the air by a solid upon burning out, the missile is propelled to its target in high subsonic speed by a Turbojet sustainer engine—leaving the 125 kg multi-purpose blast/fragmentation Warhead to do its work, which in case of a ship target means impacting the ship at or near the water line.


JOINT STRIKE MISSILE


There are plans to develop a multi-role version of the NSM, with ground strike being an option. This missile will be integrated with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II "Joint Strike Fighter", and might be integrated with the Eurofighter and the JAS 39 Gripen as well. Studies have shown that the F-35 would be able to carry two of these in its internal bays, while additional missiles could be carried externally.

According to Kongsberg, this "multi-role NSM" is the only anti-ship missile that will fit inside the F-35's internal bays. Lager Joint Strike Missile – Lars Magne Sunnanå, ''E24'' business website, 31 January 2007 Lockheed Martin and Kongsberg have signed a joint-marketing agreement for this air-launched version of the NSM, called the Joint Strike Missile. The project is funded by Norway and Australia . Sign joint marketing agreement – KDA press release, 31 January 2007Norway pushes naval strike missile for JSF – ''Jane's Defence Weekly'', 20 July 2005


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