USS Oakland installs Naval Strike Missile
Pictured on 9 December 2021, USS Oakland finishes installation of a Naval Strike Missile launch frame. (Photo: USN/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Vance Hand)
A fifth Independence-class LCS vessel has been equipped with the Kongsberg/Raytheon Naval Strike Missile.
The USN announced on 10 December that the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Oakland is now armed with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM).
Installation of the NSM launch module was completed on 9 December at Naval Base San Diego.
‘The addition of the NSM bolsters LCS capabilities to engage with ships in addition to the ship’s mission module,’ the USN noted in a statement. The subsonic sea-skimming missile (made by Kongsberg and Raytheon) has a range of 100nmi.
Besides Oakland, four other Independence-class LCS vessels are armed with the NSM: USS Jackson, USS Charleston, USS Gabrielle Giffords and USS Tulsa.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![How will the Canadian Coast Guard’s transfer to the DND umbrella affect its capabilities?]()
How will the Canadian Coast Guard’s transfer to the DND umbrella affect its capabilities?
By joining the defence department, the coast guard will need to acquire new solutions and adapt its in-service capabilities to ensure interoperability with the Canadian Armed Forces.
-
![UK MoD’s confirmation of MBDA missile for Type 26 points to more European collaboration]()
UK MoD’s confirmation of MBDA missile for Type 26 points to more European collaboration
The Type 26 will also be fitted with the Sea Ceptor vertically launched air defence system that can fire CAMM missiles and a 24-cell Mk 41 vertical launch system that can fire the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, anti-submarine rockets and long-range anti-ship missiles.
-
![Second Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support Ship is on schedule to be launched mid-2026]()
Second Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support Ship is on schedule to be launched mid-2026
While the first Joint Support Ship is currently in the final stages of outfitting, the second one is on schedule for launching next year.
-
![Is South Korea finally being taken seriously for Western submarine programmes?]()
Is South Korea finally being taken seriously for Western submarine programmes?
South Korean shipbuilders are beginning to make their mark beyond Asia, competing for major North American and European submarine programmes and becoming serious contenders on a global scale.
-
![AUKUS Pillar 2 could narrow focus to “four key areas” says UK official]()
AUKUS Pillar 2 could narrow focus to “four key areas” says UK official
Few concrete ideas have emerged so far on which “advanced capabilities” will be brought forward under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS partnership, but the Pentagon’s review of the programme could bring more clarity.
