The NSM is described as an advanced, fifth generation, stealth cruise missile designed for maritime strike and land attack against heavily defended targets, and it has been selected by or is under delivery to 14 nations including Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The missile can be launched from ships or fired from trucks as part of the NSM Coastal Defence System without modification, and is already used in land-based strike configurations by Poland and the U.S. Marine Corps.
StrikeMaster is Kongsberg’s Australian configuration of the NSM Coastal Defence System, using Thales Australia’s Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle as the twin-pack launcher platform and including a Fire Control Centre and Missile Re-supply Vehicle based on the same platform. The configuration is similar to the launcher used by the USMC’s NMESIS Ground Based Anti-Ship Missile programme and will be built in Australia across Kongsberg Defence Australia and Thales Australia facilities, using over 150 local suppliers and creating or retaining 700 Australian jobs.
Kongsberg also confirmed that the NSM will be manufactured at the Kongsberg Missile Factory under construction near Newcastle, with NSM deliveries from that site slated to commence in 2027. The StrikeMaster NSM CDS system will be produced in Australia and the test activity in Norway is intended to provide assurance of the launcher’s reliability and performance in a protected, mobile configuration.
Kongsberg Defence Australia’s Managing Director, John Fry said: “This firing is a clear demonstration of StrikeMaster’s capability, providing assurance in the launcher’s reliability and performance, and confirming its suitability for Australia and other nations. Our collaboration with Thales Australia enables us to offer the proven and fielded NSM CDS capability in a mobile, protected, and locally built configuration that aligns with the force structure of Australia and other nations.”
Thales Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Connolly states: “This successful live-fire proves the combination of the NSM and Bushmaster can provide a potent land based maritime-strike capability for Australia and our allies, and it will be made right here in Australia – supporting a sovereign industrial base.”
