Following the news that eleven British warships will be equipped with Norwegian firm Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM);

James Marques, Associate Aerospace, Defense and Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Fighting in the Black Sea as a result of the Ukraine war has brought the UK’s Naval firepower capability back into the focus as it waits for the Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon (FCASW).

“The Royal Navy’s search for an interim anti-surface weapon has been answered by Norwegian firm Kongsberg’s partnership with US Raytheon in developing the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), a more advanced alternative to the ageing Harpoon, which has already been sold to Poland, Spain and the US.

“GlobalData forecasts that the global market for anti-ship missiles (AShMs) and missile defense systems is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3% to $34 billion by 2032.

“Good interoperability and a predicted fitting time of just 12 months makes the NSM a wise choice and demonstrates NATO’s ability to bolster its defenses as Russia continues to pose a threat to maritime security in Northern Europe and the Arctic despite its struggles with naval operations in the Black Sea.”