US Marine Corps orders NMESIS launchers
Pictured in August 2021, a USMC Landing Craft Air Cushioned delivers an NMESIS launcher to the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands in Hawaii, as a part of Large Scale Exercise 2021. (Photo: USN/Senior Chief Petty Officer Justin Oxford)
Raytheon will supply production-representative NMESIS launchers and weapon control systems for the USMC ahead of an expected in-service date of 2023.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense is to provide the USMC with more production-representative models of Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) launchers and weapon control systems (WCSs), the DoD announced on 24 May.
This followed a previous order in December 2021.
NMESIS is designed to fire the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) manufactured by Kongsberg and Raytheon.
Work on a $22.58 million contract modification from Marine Corps Systems Command is scheduled for completion by December 2023, mostly (70%) by Kongsberg in Norway with the remainder taking place at two US locations.
NMESIS is a land-based missile launcher platform that provides the Fleet Marine Force with an anti-ship strike capability.
The system integrates an NSM launcher unit with two encanistered missiles on an unmanned variant of the Oshkosh-made Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
The NLU is controlled by the WCS, which is operated from a separate C2 vehicle.
The USMC requested $57.8 million for 35 NSMs in FY2022 and a total of $208 million was enacted for the NMESIS programme, rising to $345 million in the FY2023 budget request.
Marine Corps Systems Command has stated that it expects NMESIS to enter service in 2023.
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