On 12 December 2022, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace announced that they signed a contract with The Netherlands Ministry of Defence to supply the Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNLN) with Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs). Kongsberg did not provide any further comment on the quantity of missiles or the contract value. However, The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that the missiles would be delivered from 2025 onwards, and were intended to equip the Navy’s De Zeven Provinciën class frigates, replacing the older RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile in service.
The NSM is a long-range, anti-ship and land attack cruise missile which offers improved range and accuracy over the Harpoon. It is equipped with an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker, in addition to combined GPS and Inertial Navigation System (INS), as well as Terrain Contour Matching, providing multiple guidance modes for various tactical scenarios. With its selection of the missile, The Netherlands joins various NATO partners who also operate the system, including Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain, the UK and the USA.
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