Ukraine is negotiating with Poland to purchase onshore missile systems with NSM anti-ship missiles. According to the unofficial information of the Polish media, Defence24, Ukraine is considering the possibility of purchasing a missile battery from Poland, or even a whole battalion.

Ukraine’s use of NSM anti-ship missiles will improve its defense capabilities and allow it to strike Russian military facilities located at a distance of more than 200 km. In addition, it will make it possible to strike the Crimean peninsula.

History of the appearance of Naval Strike Missile

Work on the creation of a new type of anti-ship missile began in the late 1980s in Norway. The country sought to obtain a more powerful anti-ship weapon than the AGM-119 Penguin AShM created in the 1960s.

The technical task was to create a full-fledged anti-ship missile capable of hitting targets at distances over 200 km and striking ground targets.

It took 13 years for Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) to develop a promising AShM. During this time, the missile’s appearance was changing significantly while determining an optimal guidance system. The main issue at that time was the development of a homing seeker that could work without problems for a long time and be able to reliably lock on targets.

As a result, the missile received an infrared camera (IIR) as the main means of targeting, which made it possible to capture both surface and ground targets.

The engineers decided to rely on the use of the GPS satellite navigation system, which was actively developing in the 1990s. Thanks to this, the missile gained the ability to fly long distances with radio guidance. That allowed it to fly in a precisely specified direction and receive adjustments if the target was moving. The designers implemented the terrain contour matching (TERCOM) system to enable the system’s ability to attack ground targets. That allowed the missile to fly at minimum altitudes above the ground and skirt the obstacles.

Low-observable technology was used in missile development, and in addition, subsonic speed improved this indicator. It also has a French-made Microturbo TRI-40 turbojet engine along with a booster that helps the missile detach from the transport and firing boxes.

The first contract for the AShM was awarded on June 29, 2007. The Norwegian Ministry of Defense ordered them for installation on Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and Skjold-class corvettes. In addition, NSM missiles replaced the Penguin AShM for the Norwegian Navy.

JSM air-launched cruise missile

The Joint Strike Missile is developed from the NSM ground launch missile for launch by aircraft, primarily by F-35 fighters.

The missile received a new Williams International F‐415 turbofan engine, which under certain flight modes, such as Hi-Hi-Lo, allows the missile to cover distances of more than 500 km.

Its warhead weighs 120 kg, enough to cause serious damage to surface ships.

Due to its compact size, the missile fits in the internal compartments of the F-35 fighter. In total, the aircraft can carry two missiles in the internal compartments.

Potential use of NSM/JSM in Ukraine

The potential use of the onshore missile system with NSM missiles will allow Ukraine to receive high-quality protection from the surface fleet of the Russian Federation. The use of separate radar stations in the system aimed at the search and adjustment of a missile makes it possible to attack targets at extreme ranges.

Due to its stealth and subsonic speed, the missile becomes a difficult target for naval self-defense systems.

The system consists of 3-4 launchers for four missiles in a closed transport container, a radar station, a control post, a transloader, and a power generator.

Thanks to advanced electronics, the missile has the ability to strike ground targets and, at the same time, maneuver during flight to bypass the enemy’s air defense systems. The use of an infrared camera and terrain-following radar would allow the Ukrainian Defense Forces to attack targets in the far rear of the Russians.

The use of NSM missiles from warships is possible only after the modernization of weapons control systems and radars, which is not very rational from a financial point of view. The total cost of upgrading and purchasing missiles for a single ship can reach approximately $15-20 million.

This missile could be implemented with the P-50U Fast Inshore Attack Craft, which the United Kingdom was supposed to build for the Ukrainian Navy.

The development of boats was led by Babcock, and their production had to take place in a shipyard in the city of Rosyth in the east of Scotland.

The missile can be considered multitasking, but such capabilities can cost $2.2 million per missile in the ground launch version and $3.3 million in the air launch version. This is 3–4 times more expensive than the Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which cost about $900 thousand, or JASSM, whose price is $1 million.

Such a high price becomes an obstacle to the purchase of this missile for countries with a small defense budget; because of this, the list of countries that have purchased this missile is not so long.

Conclusion

The use of this missile by the Defense Forces of Ukraine would significantly improve the capabilities of the coastline defense at a distance of more than 200 km and would make it possible to strike military facilities and headquarters of the enemy in its rear. Using the aviation version of the missile would allow for unification of the missile fleet and increase the range of the missile by 2.5 times.