US-Norwegian Joint Venture Bids for Navy Missile Contract - Raytheon

A long range precision strike missile now used by the Norwegian naval frigates and coastal corvettes will be offered to the US Navy in an upcoming proposal that was announced by the defense and aerospace contractor Raytheon in a press release on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Naval Strike Missile (NSM), produced in a joint venture by Raytheon and the company’s Norwegian partner Kongsberg Gruppen, is designed to penetrate modern enemy defenses with advanced seeker and target identification technology, the release explained.

"NSM is the only missile of its class that is ready today to add critical, long-range firepower to naval ships," Raytheon Air Warfare Systems Vice President Mike Jarrett stated in the release.

The two companies plan to meet a June 23 US Navy deadline to submit their proposal, in which NSM launchers, missiles and components would be manufactured in the US states of Kentucky and Arizona.