JUN 28, 2023
Ukraine could be in line to receive the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile, or NSM, from Polish stocks, with reports in the Polish media suggesting that talks between the two countries about a possible transfer of these coastal defense systems are underway.
A report on the Defence24.pl website says that negotiations are at an advanced stage. The NSM would provide Ukraine with a powerful ability to attack both naval and land targets at distances of over 124 miles. Among its other features, the NSM has low-observable characteristics to make it more difficult for adversaries to spot in advance and it employs unpredictable movements in its terminal stage of flight to help avoid enemy air defense systems. The missile also has an imaging infrared (IIR) system for terminal homing, meaning it gives no radio-frequency warning and cannot be spoofed using RF jamming tactics.
The report claims that a transfer could possibly be secured using European Unions funds, which would in turn allows Poland to backfill its NSM units.
The Polish Navy currently operates two complete NSM systems within its Coastal Missile Squadron. Each consists of two batteries, each battery having three launchers with up to four missiles each, and supporting command and fire control vehicles. In addition, there are battery and squadron command vehicles, mobile communication centers, plus target detection and tracking radars.
Poland was the first NSM operator to deploy a coastal defense variant, although the U.S. Marine Corps, Romania, and Latvia subsequently decided to acquire the same. The U.S. Navy and Norway use NSM missiles in their ship-launched variant.
Before we head into the latest news from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here.
That would be a great addition to Ukraine’s defense/offense capabilities!
Basic data on NSM vs ATACMS: The NSM has a range of 200 km, which is 100 km less than ATACMS, and its warhead is 120 kg, compared to the ATACMS’ up to 600 kg.
When will sleepy finally send ATACMS to Ukraine???