The US Marine Corps has selected Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to manufacture and support launchers and weapon-control systems for the Naval Strike Missile. The contract is valued at $404.4 million and will remain active through September 2034. Under the industrial arrangement, Kongsberg will conduct 85 percent of the work in Norway, while the remaining 15 percent will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The NSM is a long-range anti-ship weapon equipped with an imaging infrared seeker. It flies at very low altitude during its approach to reduce the opportunity for detection before reaching its target. The missile has a range exceeding 100 nautical miles (115 miles/185 kilometers). The US Navy’s 2026 procurement plan included 90 NSMs for the Marine Corps and 16 for the Navy. For the Marine Corps, NSM is integrated into the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a ground-launched system combining the missile with a remotely operated vehicle and weapon-control equipment. The service began fielding NMESIS in 2023, and each system can carry two NSMs. The capability is designed for Marine Littoral Regiments operating from dispersed locations along coastlines and islands. Mobile launchers allow Marines to threaten surface vessels while exchanging targeting information through wider naval and joint-force networks.
