Naval Strike Missile: A Microcosm of Tory Defence confusion
The troubled story of Britain’s anti-ship missiles
The Royal Navy’s warships — described by MPs last year as “spiky herbivores” due to their lack of offensive capacity — look set to go carnivorous.
On 23 November the Ministry of Defence announced it will acquire an unspecified number of the Norwegian-built Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to equip 11 warships, starting with three ships by the end of 2023.
With a range of 185+km, the ability to hit land targets as well as ships, and to make high-G evasive manouvers as it approaches its target, the NSM has been chosen as an interim solution, prior to the roll-out of a more lethal Anglo-French missile set to become available after 2028.
Built by Kongsberg, Norway’s 69% state-owned defence company, the missiles will be installed at the Plymouth and Portsmouth bases of the ships involved.
The decision comes not a moment too soon. The Harpoon missiles on the navy’s Type 23 frigates are obsolete and due for withdrawal next year.
But it comes after a tortuous process which, in microcosm, illustrates the budget and technology dilemmas the Royal Navy faces — in part due to Boris Johnson’s hubristic “Global Britain” policy.
