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Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) launches a Naval Strike Missile during exercise Pacific Griffin. Raytheon and Kongsberg put the missile on the ship one year ahead of its initial deployment schedule. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

The Naval Strike Missile is a long-range precision missile that strikes heavily defended land and sea targets. NSM, with a range of up to 100 nautical miles, flies at low altitudes and uses advanced seeker and target-identification tech.

The U.S. Navy selected the Naval Strike Missile for its over-the-horizon defense of littoral combat ships and future frigates in 2018.

Last year, the USS Gabrielle Giffords became the first Navy littoral combat ship to launch NSM in an integrated setup. The missile was fired in October during Pacific Griffin, a biennial exercise conducted in the waters near Guam.  

“Today was a terrific accomplishment for the USS Gabrielle Giffords crew, and the Navy’s LCS class,” Cmdr. Matthew Lehmann, the Gabrielle Giffords’ commanding officer said of the test that brought NSM into the Indo-Pacific region for the first time. 

Raytheon has teamed with Norway’s Kongsberg to bring the fifth-generation missile stateside. Both companies worked with the Navy to integrate the missile into the littoral combat ship one year ahead of schedule.

“As we take these initial steps for domestic production, it’s clear the important role this missile will play for the U.S. Navy,” said Randy Kempton, Raytheon’s Naval Strike Missile program director. 

Raytheon is building the Naval Strike Missile’s U.S. supply chain, which will provide parts and create jobs for more than two dozen suppliers. Early stages of production are already underway, with missile launchers set to be produced in Louisville, Kentucky.

The U.S. Marine Corps has integrated NSM into its force structure, which helps to share costs and enhances interoperability with the Navy.

Last year, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of 24 MH-60R helicopters to India for an anti-surface mission.