Naval Strike Missile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Naval Strike Missile | |
|---|---|
| Basic data | |
| Function | littoral/open sea anti-ship/land attack cruise missile |
| Manufacturer | Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace |
| Entered service | |
| General characteristics | |
| Engine | solid fuel rocket booster, Microturbo TRI-40 turbojet |
| Launch mass | 410 kg |
| Length | 3.95 m |
| Diameter | |
| Speed | high subsonic |
| Range | 160 km |
| Flying altitude | sea skimming |
| Warhead | 125 kg HE fragmentation |
| Guidance | inertial, GPS, terrain-reference navigation, active infrared homing, data link, target database |
| Fuzes | programmable fuze |
| Launch platform | naval ships, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, land-based vehicles |
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and planned to be fully operational in 2006. It has already 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 anti-ship missile), the English marketing name Naval Strike Missile was adopted later.
Contents |
[edit] Design
The state-of-the-art design and use of composite materials 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 as well as for open sea ("bluewater") 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 countermeasures. While the Penguin is a yaw-to-turn missile, NSM is based on bank-to-turn flight. (see flight dynamics)
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 with the combination of an imaging IR (IIR) seeker and an onboard target database. NSM will be able to navigate by GPS, inertial and terrain reference systems. After being launched into the air by a solid rocket booster which is jettisoned 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.
[edit] 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 and could be integrated with the Eurofighter and the JAS Gripen. 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 is the only anti-ship missile that will fit inside the F-35's internal bays.[1] 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.[2][3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Lager Joint Strike Missile
- ^ Sign joint marketing agreement
- ^ Jane's Defence Weekly, 20 July, 2005: Norway pushes naval strike missile for JSF
[edit] External links
- Official NSM product page at KDA
- Kongsberg test fires Naval Strike Missiles Jane's Navy International, 8 August 2006
- Missile.index search – Choose* Development-Country: "Norway", then pick "NSM" from the results list
(* direct linking to subpages is not possible at this website)
