The NSM and Sea Venom: How Britain Plans to Win the Next Naval Battle (video commentary)

10/07/2026

The Royal Navy just fired its two newest anti-ship missiles, the Naval Strike Missile and Sea Venom, at the same retired American frigate during Exercise Atlantic Thunder, and the ship was still floating after both hits.

I break down what each missile is actually built to do, why “disabling” a warship matters more than sinking it, and what this reveals about how Britain plans to fight a modern naval battle. It’s the first operational firing of both weapons, in the same exercise, against the same target.

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Chapters!
00:00 – New British anti‑ship missiles tested on retired US frigate
01:12 – Atlantic Thunder: multi‑service strike on USS Klarkring
02:33 – Why Britain needed two new anti‑ship missiles
03:13 – From aging Harpoon to Norway’s NSM solution
03:59 – NSM: passive infrared guidance and long‑range strike
05:40 – Sea Venom introduced for cluttered maritime environments
06:58 – Sea Venom missile: helicopter‑launched, IR‑guided, operator‑controlled
08:05 – Real‑time operator control of Sea Venom in flight
08:22 – Sea Venom’s lethal impact: disabling ships without sinking
08:55 – Wildcat’s autonomous kill chain and role beyond missile carriage
09:43 – Layered reach: NSM long‑range strike versus Sea Venom’s close‑in precision
11:10 – Assessing missile‑induced system failures in Atlantic Thunder
11:56 – Instrumented target reveals advantages of new British missiles
12:49 – From ship‑borne Harpoon to NSM bridge toward Stratus program 14:09 – Stratus family unveiled: next‑gen British anti‑ship capability
14:48 – Martlet, Sea Venom and submarine torpedoes: the full British anti‑surface ladder
15:13 – Rapid evolution to a layered British anti‑ship arsenal
16:56 – Strategic ramifications: facing multiple British anti‑ship threats
17:34 – Conclusion and Ukraine solidarity