Kongsberg’s StrikeMaster conducts successful NSM test firing in Norway

Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and Thales Australia have successfully fired a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) test munition from the StrikeMaster missile launch vehicle in Norway.

This firing demonstrates the suitability of the Thales Australia Bushmaster Utility variant as a launch platform for Kongsberg’s NSM, confirming StrikeMaster as a low-risk solution to deliver on Australia’s long-range strike and Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM) requirements under Project LAND8113 Ph.2. The NSM is already in service with the ADF as an anti-ship and strike missile aboard the RAN’s Hobart-class DDGs and ANZAC-class frigates where it has replaced the Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon.

“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,” said Mr John Fry, managing director of Kongsberg Defence Australia. “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.”

StrikeMaster is Kongsberg’s Australian configuration of the NSM Coastal Defence System (CDS), using Thales Australia’s proven Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle as the platform for a twin-pack NSM launcher. The configuration is similar to the launcher used by the US Marine Corps’ NMESIS Ground Based Anti-Ship Missile program, which is currently being deployed in the region. The StrikeMaster NSM CDS solution also includes a Fire Control Centre and Missile Re-supply Vehicle, both using the Bushmaster Platform.

The StrikeMaster NSM CDS system will be built in Australia, across Kongsberg Defence Australia and Thales Australia’s factories in Adelaide and Bendigo, using over 150 local suppliers. The NSM itself and its air-launched sister, the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), will soon be manufactured in a new Kongsberg Missile Factory which is under construction near Newcastle, with NSM deliveries from the site commencing in 2027. The company will also build the NSM and JSM in a new US factory in James City Country, Virginia.

The NSM is an advanced, fifth generation, stealth cruise missile designed for both maritime strike and land attack against heavily defended targets. The NSM itself can be deck launched from ships or fired from trucks as part of the NSM CDS without modification. NSM is currently used in a land-based strike configuration with Poland and the US Marine Corps (USMC), and has been selected by, or is under delivery to, 14 nations including Norway, the US, UK, Canada and Australia, where it entered service with the Royal Australian Navy in 2024.

Thales Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jeff Connolly said, “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.”