Critical infrastructure protection fuels growth in maritime counter-drone market
Operational lessons are pushing navies towards counter-uncrewed aerial systems at sea, creating a fast-emerging industrial opportunity for radar and effector makers.
The new 3SM Tyrfing will be an improved version of the NSM. (Image: Kongsberg)
The Norwegian government has launched a programme to develop a next-generation naval strike missile in cooperation with Kongsberg and Germany which will be designed to compliment the existing Naval Strike Missile (NSM).
The new missile will be known as SuperSonic Strike Missile (3SM) Tyrfing, a magic sword from Norse mythology, and has been scheduled to be ready in 2035.
Norwegian defence minister Bjørn Arild Gram said: ‘The project will continue to extend [Kongsberg’s] strategically important expertise, so we can continue to develop missiles that are attractive to other NATO countries and close allies.’
The Norwegian government has proposed to initiate and complete the initial design phase of the project, before returning to the Norwegian Parliament with a recommendation to continue the project.
The NSM will be a subsonic, sea-skimming, terrain-following anti-ship and land-attack long-range precision missile designed to strike heavily defended land and sea targets.
Kongsberg has received several recent orders for the NSM in the past 12 months including for Polish coastal defence systems (CDS), the UK Royal Navy’s Darling-class Type 45 destroyers and Romania expected to receive its first CDS with NSMs in 2024.
Operational lessons are pushing navies towards counter-uncrewed aerial systems at sea, creating a fast-emerging industrial opportunity for radar and effector makers.
The decision points to deepening NATO cooperation and mounting competition in the Arctic and North Atlantic, as Canada opts for a European-designed solution despite interest from South Korea.
The Royal Navy’s transition towards a hybrid fleet could prove to be less about building more hulls and more about delivering the autonomous technologies, AI and digital integration that will support future maritime operations.
The programme’s structure as a marketplace will allow multiple companies to compete for ongoing procurements; an approach which could be replicated across the Atlantic.
Investment in nuclear submarines, autonomous systems and stronger defensive capabilities for existing vessels show a clear strategic shift in Royal Navy priorities.
With a revised Defence Investment Plan on the way ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit on 7-8 July, the UK government has begun to reveal more details of how its future naval fleet could look.