Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed a contract with Raytheon Missile Systems to deliver Naval Strike Missiles under a contract worth $21.36 million. The missiles are for the United States Navy’s Over-The-Horizon Weapon System (OTH WS) program. Raytheon is the prime contractor.

The Naval Strike Missile is a GPS-guided long-range, precision strike weapon that can find and destroy enemy ships at distances up to 100 nautical miles. The stealthy missile flies at sea-skimming altitude, has terrain-following capability (it banks to turn) and uses an imaging infrared seeker for precise targeting in challenging conditions. The missile employs a semi-armor-piercing warhead optimized for anti-surface warfare.

According to Raytheon, the missile also is suited for land attack missions because it can climb and descend with the terrain. It was successfully tested in a land-based mobile launcher configuration in 2018 as part of a multination military exercise. In 2019, the U.S. Marine Corps integrated a land-based Naval Strike Missile into its force structure, sharing costs and interoperability with the Navy.

The missile was first fired in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Navy. Then, on Oct. 1, it was launched from the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) during Pacific Griffin, an exercise conducted with the Singaporean navy near Guam Sep. 27 through Oct. 10, 2019.

The OTH-WS program is a long-range, surface-to-surface warfare system intended to offensively engage maritime targets both inside and beyond the radar horizon. The system consists of an operator interface console, Naval Strike Missile, and the Missile Launching System. The OTH-WS is intended to be a stand-alone system requiring minimal integration into the ship’s platform.

The Navy selected the Naval Strike Missile in 2018, with Raytheon as the contractor for its over-the-horizon defense of littoral combat ships and future frigates.

Also in 2019, the Navy conducted a structural test firing of the OTH-WS to assess the integrity and safety of the weapon system installation on the launch platform. The test showed there were no problems regarding integration of the missile launching system with the platform.

The Navy is planning to conduct Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and Live-Fire Test and Evaluation in fiscal years 2020-2022. and is developing a test and evaluation plan and live-fire test strategy.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords launches a Naval Strike Missile during exercise Pacific Griffin. (Photo: U.S. Navy//Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe/Released.)