Norway and Germany to develop next-generation SuperSonic Strike Missile

Europe, News November 27, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Norway and Germany are jointly developing the next-generation strike missile called “SuperSonic Strike Missile”, the Norwegian government announced on November 24, 2023. The new weapon is expected to be deployed on naval vessels in both countries.

The Norwegian defense firm Kongsberg said in a statement that the development of the new missile will be conducted in a collaborative project between Germany and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

According to the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, Kongsberg will take the lead role in developing the new naval strike missile, which will complement the NSM. “The new missile will be known as SuperSonic Strike Missile (3SM) Tyrfing and is scheduled to be ready in 2035,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace said in a statement, “The government is proposing to initiate and complete the initial design phase of the project, before returning to the Norwegian Parliament with a recommendation to continue the project.”

Defense Minister of Norway Bjørn Arild Gram said, “The development of Norwegian missiles is a success story. The Norwegian defense industry, with KONGSBERG at the forefront, has unique expertise and produces world-class missiles.”

Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) — *^{Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Naval Strike Missile (NSM) at LIMA 2023. (Image Credit: Kongsberg/P. Valpolini/via EDR)}*

Gram further added that “The project will continue to extend this strategically important expertise, so we can continue to develop missiles that are attractive to other NATO countries and close allies.”

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace president Eirik Lie said, “The new strike missile project will ensure that Norway retains its position as a world leader in missile production, based on seamless cooperation between industry, governments, and research establishments.”

Eirik Lie welcomed the new project and highlighted that it would create new job opportunities in Norway and offer the Scandinavian country and its allies enhanced defense capabilities.

Kongsberg NSM

The Kongsberg Navel Strike Missile was developed in the early 2000s and delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces from the year 2011 to 2015. Norway’s NSM is a sea-skimming, over-the-horizon missile capable of striking targets more than 185 kilometers away.

The missiles are currently used by at least 13 countries. The U.S. Navy also uses a variant of Kongsberg’s NSM developed locally in collaboration with the U.S. defense manufacturer Raytheon Technologies.

Last year, the UK’s Royal Navy and the Norwegian government signed a contract for new long-range precision strike missiles against surface ship and land targets. Under the contract, Kongsberg would provide its latest naval strike missiles for British warships.