Anti-ship missile to deploy with LCS

The Navy will soon deploy a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) aboard a Littoral Combat Ship, which can detect and destroy enemy targets up to 100 nautical miles. NSM was developed by the Norway-based firm Kongsberg. The U.S. Navy is planning to utilize the Foreign Comparative Testing program to procure and install the NSM aboard USS Freedom (LCS 1). In 2014, the NSM was successfully test fired from the Gulf Coast-built USS Coronado (LCS 4) to demonstrate a surface-to-surface weapon capability. Kongsberg is working with Raytheon to establish American-based NSM production facilities, according to Scout.com. “The (NSM) is the size, shape and weight that fits on both classes of the Littoral Combat Ship,” said Gary Holst, senior director for Naval Surface Warfare. (Source: Scout.com 04/08/16) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: There are currently two variants of LCS – Independence class built at Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., and Freedom class in Wisconsin. The Navy has been directed to reduce the number of future LCS buys to 40 (from 52) and to choose one variant and builder. Also, the NSM is being developed for Norway’s variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.