Norwegian defence company Kongsberg has signed a framework agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps for the production and sustainment of Naval Strike Missile (NSM) launcher units, weapon control systems and associated support equipment.
Announced on 28 September, the agreement has a potential value of up to $404 million and may support deliveries through 2034. The value is not a firm order total; instead, the Marine Corps will place individual call-offs under the framework, with Kongsberg expected to announce significant order intake as those orders are made.
The agreement is directly relevant to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS). In this configuration, NSM provides the missile component of a land-based, mobile anti-ship capability intended to support distributed maritime operations. NMESIS pairs an NSM launcher with a remotely operated ROGUE-Fires vehicle derived from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, while the weapon-control element is operated from a separate command-and-control vehicle.
By covering launchers, weapon-control equipment and sustainment, the new arrangement goes beyond missile procurement. It creates a long-term vehicle for the Marine Corps to expand the infrastructure needed to field, maintain and regenerate dispersed firing units. This is particularly important for Marine Littoral Regiments, which are expected to operate from temporary and austere locations rather than fixed coastal-defence sites.
The Naval Strike Missile is already embedded in wider U.S. naval planning. As Naval News previously reported, NSM is the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy’s Over-the-Horizon Weapon System and is being integrated aboard Littoral Combat Ships and Constellation-class frigates. For the Marine Corps, however, the missile forms the striking element of NMESIS and provides an ability to engage maritime targets from land.
Kongsberg describes NSM as a flexible weapon capable of engaging targets at sea and on land. Its passive seeker, autonomous target-recognition capability and sea-skimming flight profile are designed to improve target discrimination and survivability against modern naval defences.
