Kongsberg said in a statement that the company has been awarded a contract worth around NOK 16 billion ($1.48 billion) by the Polish Ministry of Defense to supply four squadrons of NSM coastal defense systems.
Poland was the first nation to acquire the NSM coastal defense system capability in 2008, and then with an additional squadron in 2014. The contract award builds on more than a decade of successful cooperation between Kongsberg, the Polish Government and Polish industry. The new deliveries will carry on into the 2030s.
With the changed security situation in Europe, Poland is firm in its commitment to ensure important defense capabilities, and for Kongsberg as an industry partner. The NSM coastal defense system plays a significant role in supporting nations’ ability to defend their territory and citizens. “The determination demonstrated by the Polish Ministry of National Defence to acquire more NSM CDS is a sign of trust and confirms that our system represents the most effective capability available” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Polish industry will contribute to significant parts of the scope, including the communication system, vehicles and part of the command and control system, as well as taking part in system integration activities. As part of the contract, Kongsberg will provide training and technical support, including simulators, to enable Polish personnel to conduct maintenance services in Poland.
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). The NSM can be launched from both land- and sea-based platforms and is already in use by, or under delivery to, 12 countries. The NSM is a fifth-generation Strike Missile and regarded as the most advanced naval strike missile in the world, initially developed by Kongsberg for the Norwegian Navy. The missile’s stealth design makes it difficult to detect and its seeker system enables Autonomous Target Recognition of the targets.
The state-of-the-art design and use of composite materials is meant to give the missile sophisticated stealth capabilities. The missile weighs slightly more than 400 kg (880 lb) and have a range of more than 185 km (115 mi; 100 nmi). NSM is designed for littoral waters, as well as for open sea scenarios.
Like its Penguin predecessor, NSM is able to fly over and around landmasses, travel in sea skim mode, and then make random manoeuvres in the terminal phase, making it harder to stop by enemy countermeasures. In 2016, it was confirmed by the Royal Norwegian Navy that NSM also can attack land targets.
An NSM coastal battery consists of three missile launch vehicles (MLV), one battery command vehicle (BCV), three combat command vehicles (CCV), one mobile communication center (MCC), one mobile radar vehicle (MRV) with TRS-15C radar, one transport and loading vehicle (TLV), and one mobile workshop vehicle (MWV). Each missile launch vehicle carries 4 missiles and can be connected to the combat command vehicles by optical fiber or radio up to 10 km (6.2 mi) away; up to 6 launchers with 24 missiles can be netted together at once.
