Naval Strike Missile: the modern anti-ship missile that the Spanish Navy will receive

@DefAviation ES 9·12·2022 · 20:41 0

The frigates of the "Álvaro de Bazán" class (F-100) and those of the "Bonifaz" class (F-110) of the Spanish Navy will have a new and advanced anti-ship missile.

Así es por dentro el Taller de Misiles y Torpedos de la Armada Española
La Armada Española dispara por primera vez un misil contra la mayor amenaza antibuque

The Norwegian company Kongsberg confirmed last Friday that "has received a confirmation that the Spanish Navy will acquire the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to replace the Harpoon missile when this is retired from active service." Kongsberg's note adds: "The Spanish Navy plans to equip both the existing F-100 and the new F-110 with NSM. Additional information will be announced when the contract is awarded." The company has also stated that "cannot provide any further comment on the potential size of this contract."

The NSM, developed by the aforementioned Norwegian company, has been in service since 2012 and has so far been acquired by the United States (where it is operated by the Navy and Marines), Norway and Poland. It is also expected to be used by Germany, Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Romania, and its potential customers also include the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the Netherlands, India and Indonesia.

As for its characteristics, the NSM weighs 407 kg, is almost 4 meters long and carries a 125 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, with a programmable fuse and a guidance system inertial, GPS and terrain reference navigation and infrared image search. Includes a database of targets to improve your accuracy. Its power plant is a TRI-40 solid fuel rocket, with which it is capable of reaching high subsonic speed. Its operational range is 185 km. In addition, it has a very low radar signature, it can fly at an extremely low altitude almost skimming the sea and make a flight following terrain features, which makes detection difficult.

The NSM can be launched from ships as well as from ground vehicles. Poland has acquired two ground batteries each equipped with six launch vehicles, two TRS-15C radars, 6 fire control systems and 3 I send. The NSM ground launch system is called Coastal Defense System (CDS). Likewise, Kongsberg has also designed an airborne version called the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), which can be launched from an F-35 fighter.

The current Harpoon missile used by the Spanish Navy was developed in the 1970s. It is slightly smaller than the NSM and weighs 691 kg, with a 221 kg warhead and an impact fuse. Its power plant is a CA J402 turbojet engine with which it can reach a speed of 864 km/h. It has a range of 139 km. The Harpoon also has an airborne version that is used by the Spanish Air Force.

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Main photo: United States Department of Defense.