The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon Co. and Kongsberg Gruppen a contract to manufacture and deliver a long-range precision missile for littoral combat ships and future frigates over-the-horizon weapons systems.
The $14.8 million contract for offensive missiles and a single fire control suite includes options that could bring its value to up to $847.6 million. Raytheon’s naval strike missile (NSM) can target enemy land and sea targets at a distance of up to 100 nautical miles.
“Raytheon and Kongsberg are providing the Navy with a proven, off-the-shelf solution that exceeds requirements for the over-the-horizon mission,” Taylor Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems, said. “Because it is operational now, NSM saves the United States billions of dollars in development costs and creates new high-tech jobs in this country.”
NSM launchers, missiles, and components will be manufactured in the United States under terms of the deal. Launcher production has commenced at the Raytheon factory in Louisville, and missile assembly and testing will be performed at a company facility in Tucson, Arizona.
“Raytheon and Kongsberg are celebrating 50 years of cooperation, and the selection of the NSM marks another successful step for our close relationship,” Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS, said. “We are able to provide the U.S. Navy with the best of two worlds by combining the capability of NSM with Raytheon’s proficiency as the world’s largest missile maker.”