Munitions

Naval Strike Missile

Also known as
  • NSM
  • Kongsberg NSM
  • RGM-184A

The Naval Strike Missile is a Kongsberg-developed sea-skimming cruise missile used from ship and coastal launchers against maritime targets, with land-attack capability in current Kongsberg and Raytheon descriptions. The catalog record now tracks a cautious Ukrainian fielding report, documented launch platforms, and related carrier concepts without claiming confirmed combat firings where sources do not support them.

Naval Strike Missile, Long-range anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile, Munitions
Image source: LCS Successfully Launches Naval Strike Missile

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Speed
High subsonic
Weight
407 kg (897 lb)
Length
3.96 m (156 in)
Range
Greater than 300 km (162 nm) in Kongsberg's current product data; RTX describes greater-than-100-nm U.S. Navy range context
Launch and target set
Ship and coastal launch options against sea and land targets
Guidance and seeker
GPS/inertial and terrain-reference navigation with an imaging infrared seeker and autonomous target recognition
Flight profile
Passive, low-signature, sea-skimming or overland low-flight profile with advanced terminal maneuvers
Warhead
RTX describes a 500-pound-class blast-fragmentation warhead with a programmable fuze
Seeker And Flight Profile

Kongsberg describes NSM as a low-signature, passive, sea-skimming missile with target-recognition features intended for defended maritime environments.

Guidance

GPS/inertial and terrain-reference navigation support the midcourse flight profile, with an imaging infrared seeker for terminal target recognition.

Survivability

Kongsberg emphasizes passive operation, low-signature shaping, sea-skimming or overland low flight, and terminal maneuvers.

Target Set

Product sources describe ship and land target options from flexible launch environments, including coastal-defense launchers and ship installations.

Launch Platforms

Official product, military, and service sources document NSM use from shipboard and ground launchers, while some ship records describe planned or tested integration rather than conflict use.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, Ground-based anti-ship missile launcher, Naval SystemsNavy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction SystemGround-based anti-ship missile launcher

Marine Corps Systems Command says NMESIS is a remotely operated JLTV-based launcher outfitted with two Naval Strike Missiles.

Sources: Long Range Fires

Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, Naval SystemsFreedom-class Littoral Combat ShipLittoral combat ship

Raytheon states that the U.S. Navy selected NSM for littoral combat ships, while Navy LCS planning material identified NSM installation across LCS hulls.

Sources: Naval Strike Missile | Raytheon, Task Force LCS

Hobart-class air warfare destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Naval SystemsHobart-class air warfare destroyerGuided-missile destroyer

Australia said HMAS Sydney, a Hobart-class destroyer, successfully fired a Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC 2024.

Sources: Navy conducts successful firing of Naval Strike Missile

River-class destroyer, Guided missile destroyer, Naval SystemsRiver-class destroyerFuture guided-missile destroyer

The Royal Canadian Navy's 2026 River-class fact sheet lists Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile as the class anti-ship missile.

Sources: River-Class Destroyer Fact Sheet (2026)

Transport Carriage

The U-Hawk relationship is a cargo and missile-transport example, not evidence that the helicopter launches or fires NSM.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Sikorsky S-70UAS U-Hawk, Autonomous cargo utility helicopter UAS, Aircraft & UAVsSikorsky S-70UAS U-HawkAutonomous cargo utility helicopter UAS

Lockheed Martin says the U-Hawk's enlarged cabin can carry two Naval Strike Missiles as a missile-transport payload example.

Sources: Sikorsky Converts BLACK HAWK into U-Hawk, A Battle-Ready Autonomous UAS

Timeline

Naval Strike Missile Key Events

  1. LCS launch during Pacific Griffin

    The U.S. Navy said USS Gabrielle Giffords demonstrated NSM during Pacific Griffin, with the missile described as fully operational aboard the ship.

    Sources: LCS Successfully Launches Naval Strike Missile

  2. NMESIS live-fire demonstration

    Marines fired two Naval Strike Missiles from an NMESIS launcher during Large Scale Exercise 2021.

    Sources: Marines strike ship with pair of Naval Strike Missiles

  3. HMAS Sydney fires NSM

    Australia announced that Hobart-class destroyer HMAS Sydney successfully fired the Naval Strike Missile during RIMPAC 2024.

    Sources: Navy conducts successful firing of Naval Strike Missile

  4. Ukrainian launch-unit imagery reported

    UA.NEWS reported that photos from Ukraine's Odesa Navy presentation included an NSM launch unit, while noting that official information on NSM supply had not been released.

    Sources: A Harpoon launcher in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces was displayed in Ukraine

Media

Naval Strike Missile Videos

Naval Strike Missile Images

Naval Strike Missile, Long-range anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: Naval Strike Missile RTX image
Related Weapon Systems
BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsBGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, often abbreviated TLAM, is a U.S. long-range subsonic cruise missile used for deep precision strikes from naval surface ships and submarines, with newer variants also adding maritime-strike and warhead modernization paths. Documented combat use spans the 1991 Gulf War through Libya, Syria, Yemen, the Red Sea Crisis, Operation Inherent Resolve, and U.S. strikes on Iranian targets during the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict and 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict.
MdCN / SCALP Naval, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, ArtilleryArtilleryMdCN / SCALP NavalShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileMdCN, also called SCALP Naval or NCM, is MBDA's French naval cruise missile for precision land attack from FREMM frigates and Barracuda/Suffren-class submarines. MBDA describes the weapon as a very-long-range, metric-accuracy deep-strike missile launched either from A70 SYLVER vertical cells or 21-inch submarine torpedo tubes, and French forces used it operationally during the April 2018 U.S., UK, and French strikes in the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, Ship self-defense missile, MunitionsMunitionsEvolved Sea Sparrow MissileShip self-defense missileThe Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile is a NATO-cooperative ship self-defense missile family built by Raytheon for surface combatants and carrier self-defense. U.S. Navy, RTX, and NATO Seasparrow sources describe it as a medium-range guided weapon for anti-ship cruise missiles, aircraft, drones, and maneuvering surface threats; documented combat use includes USS Mason's 2016 Yemen self-defense engagement and Red Sea crisis firings against Houthi threats.
Harpoon, Anti-ship cruise missile family, MunitionsMunitionsHarpoonAnti-ship cruise missile familyHarpoon is a U.S.-origin anti-ship cruise missile family used from aircraft, surface ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The family combines sea-skimming flight with active radar terminal homing, while Block II adds GPS-aided inertial navigation for littoral anti-ship and land-attack missions and Block II+ adds a network-enabled upgrade path. Cataloged conflict use ranges from Iranian and Saudi naval launches in the late Cold War and Gulf War period to truck-mounted RGM-84 coastal defense missiles supplied for Ukraine's Black Sea defense.

Sources

NSM Naval Strike Missile (NSM) - KONGSBERGPublisher: KONGSBERG | Note: Supports NSM identity, Kongsberg manufacturer context, flexible launch and target set, sea-skimming/passive seeker description, and current technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Coastal Defence SystemPublisher: KONGSBERG | Note: Supports the NSM coastal-defense launcher context, over-the-horizon targeting, networked fire-control architecture, land and sea target set, and selected operator context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Naval Strike Missile | RaytheonPublisher: RTX Raytheon | Note: Supports Raytheon partnership and U.S. production context, sea- and land-based role descriptions, warhead/range context, and LCS/future-frigate selection context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04LCS Successfully Launches Naval Strike MissilePublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports the 2019 USS Gabrielle Giffords NSM launch, shipboard operational context, and public-domain Navy image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Naval Strike Missile Shoot: Pacific Griffin 2019Publisher: DVIDS | Note: Public-domain U.S. Navy image provenance for the primary NSM launch image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Naval Strike Missile RTX imagePublisher: RTX Raytheon | Note: Secondary gallery image file for the Naval Strike Missile; the Raytheon product page identifies the missile image as Kongsberg-provided. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Long Range FiresPublisher: Marine Corps Systems Command | Note: Supports the NMESIS relationship claim: a remotely operated JLTV-based launcher outfitted with two Naval Strike Missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Marines strike ship with pair of Naval Strike MissilesPublisher: U.S. Marine Corps | Note: Supports the 2021 NMESIS live-fire demonstration and relationship between NMESIS and NSM. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Task Force LCSPublisher: U.S. Naval Surface Forces | Note: Supports LCS variant context and Navy planning material for Naval Strike Missile installation across LCS hulls. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Navy conducts successful firing of Naval Strike MissilePublisher: Australian Government Defence Ministers | Note: Supports HMAS Sydney's 2024 Naval Strike Missile firing during RIMPAC and the Australian description of NSM as Harpoon's replacement for Navy surface combatants. | Accessed: 2026-07-04River-Class Destroyer Fact Sheet (2026)Publisher: Royal Canadian Navy | Note: Supports the River-class destroyer relationship claim listing Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile as the class anti-ship missile. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Sikorsky Converts BLACK HAWK into U-Hawk, A Battle-Ready Autonomous UASPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports the exact relationship claim that the S-70UAS U-Hawk payload examples include two Naval Strike Missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-04A Harpoon launcher in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces was displayed in UkrainePublisher: UA.NEWS | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct fielding context: Ukrainian media reported that July 2026 Odesa presentation photos included an NSM launch unit while noting that official information on NSM supply was not public. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The President Held a Coordination Meeting on Security Issues in the Southern RegionPublisher: Office of the President of Ukraine | Note: Supports the July 4, 2026 Odesa Navy presentation context and the official discussion of Ukrainian naval strike capabilities, while not naming NSM directly. | Accessed: 2026-07-04