The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed an agreement with Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to procure a new naval strike missile (NSM) system.
The new anti-ship missiles are being procured for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNLN) fleet of air defence and command frigates (Luchtverdedigings- en commandofregat – LCF).
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The LCF fleet includes four De Zeven Provincien-class guided missile warships.
Currently, the LC frigates are equipped with the ageing Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which will be replaced by the new NSM system.
NSM was selected through a replacement process that involved Dutch MoD and Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) to analyse several weapon systems offered by different companies.
Delivery of NSM to the RNLN is expected to start in 2025.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace president Eirik Lie said: “Kongsberg is very proud to have been selected by the Netherlands MoD to provide NSM to the RNLN LC frigates.
“This is another great achievement for the NSM programme, and we are very pleased to welcome the RNLN as a member of the NSM User Group.”
NSM is a long-range multi-mission missile that has been designed to counter emerging threats in highly contested and complex warfighting environments.
This fifth-generation precision strike missile can be used against both land and sea targets.
Once equipped with the LC frigates, the NSM will offer a wide range of advantages to the fleet in comparison with the existing Harpoon medium-range missiles.
Due to their stealth properties, the strike missiles can easily and precisely detect and deter enemy ships, with minimal chances of unintentional damage.
Kongsberg’s NSM has also been selected by various Nato allied and partner nations, including Spain, Germany, Canada, the UK, the US and Norway.
