Romanian Coast to Be Defended by NSM Coastal Missile System Starting This Year

Romania will begin receiving the latest NSM (Naval Strike Missile) anti-ship missiles this year.

This was reported by the local publication Monitorul Apărării.

It is noted that the first elements of the system, including missiles, are expected to enter service by the end of 2025. The fully formed system is to be deployed in Romania by 2026.

This includes not only the coastal missile component, but also launchers for naval platforms.

In addition, Romanian missile forces took part in NSM tests this year together with Polish partners in Norway.

Back in December 2022, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS signed a contract worth 1.35 billion Norwegian kroner (about $138.65 million) with the American company Raytheon Missiles & Defense to supply the NSM coastal defense system for Romania.

Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

The Naval Strike Missile is a subsonic anti-ship missile capable of striking surface and land targets. The missile is 4 m long, weighs 410 kg and is equipped with a modern target recognition system.

The maximum launch range is over 185 km, and the weight of the penetrating, high-explosive warhead is 120 kg.

The NSМ missile was developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg. Raytheon and Kongsberg joined efforts back in 2015 to compete for new US contracts for anti-ship missiles.

In 2016, they agreed to build and test components of the Norwegian missile at Raytheon’s facility in Tucson, Arizona, and launchers at Raytheon’s plant in Louisville.

The Naval Strike Missile anti-ship missile won the Over-the-Horizon Weapon Systems (OTH WS) competition for the US Navy.

In 2018, Raytheon received a contract from the US military to supply the first batch of these missiles to equip Littoral Combat Ships.