Kongsberg is set to receive a sole source contract from the US Navy to provide equipment and flight test services in support of naval strike missile (NSM) foreign comparative testing (FCT) Phase II demonstration tests.
The FCT Phase II programme is intended to exhibit operational installation and system testing during USS Freedom’s next deployment, reported IHS Janes.
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Under the contract, the company will supply NSM missiles, ship equipment, including deck mounted launchers, and perform missile installation and integration on the US littoral combat ship (LCS).
As part of the programme, the company will also provide training and a training facility.
The NSM FCT Phase II test demonstration is scheduled to be completed by July-September 2018.
During a live fire event in July 2014, the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate successfully demonstrated NSM’s capability during the Rim of the Pacific.
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By GlobalDataThe missile was successfully fired from the US Navy’s Independence-class LCS USS Coronado in September of the same year.
Kongsberg Defence Systems president Harald Annestad said: "The NSM is operational in the Norwegian and Polish Navies from both ships and land based coastal defence.
"It is an off-the-shelf and non-developmental fifth generation strike missile system that can be rapidly deployed for operational use."
The Kongsberg-developed NSM is a new generation long-range precision strike missile guided with an inertial navigation system, and is fitted with a military GPS receiver and laser altimeter.
It has a multi-mission (sea and land targets) capability, with a long stand-off range of more than 100nm.
The NSM features a stealthy design and unique passive infra-red and imaging sensor, which makes it hard to detect and increases the accuracy to avoid collateral damage.
Image: NSM demonstrated in a live-fire event. Photo: courtesy of Kongsberg Gruppen.
