USN OTH WS Programme Continues to Ramp Up

Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has signed a contract with Raytheon Missile Systems for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) for the US Navy, the Norwegian company announced on 9 March.

The contract, valued at 203 MNOK (€18.6 million) is part of the framework contract for the US Navy’s Over-the-Horizon Weapon System (OTH WS) programme, announced in May 2018 with a total cumulative scope of over $847.6 million (€739.5 million). Raytheon is prime contractor for the programme, which is intended to be the new anti-ship missile armament for both classes of Littoral Combat Ship and the FFG(X) future frigate.

NSM ended up being the only contender for OTH WS, Lockheed Martin (with its LRASM) and Boeing (HARPOON ER) having pulled out of what they described as an unfair competition. The fifth-generation missile is stealthy, features a very low sea-skimming attack profile and has high-G manoeuvrability, making it a very difficult system to counter, according to the companies.