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This event saw the firing of a blast test vehicle, which comprises the missile’s boost rocket motor, to confirm safe launch of the NSM. Kongsberg and Thales announced, “This activity demonstrates the suitability of Thales Australia’s Bushmaster utility variant as a launch platform for Kongsberg’s NSM, confirming StrikeMaster as a low-risk solution to deliver on Australia’s long-range strike requirements.” The StrikeMaster is competing for a contract under the Australian Army’s land-based maritime strike requirement; this is occurring under the auspices of Project Land 8113 Phase 2. In this case, a Bushmaster carries two launch canisters in a format similar to the NMESIS fielded by the US Marine Corps (USMC). The complete StrikeMaster system also includes a fire control centre and a missile resupply vehicle, both based on the Bushmaster chassis. John Fry, Kongsberg Defence Australia’s Managing Director, said, “This firing is a clear demonstration of StrikeMaster’s capability, providing assurance in the launcher’s reliability and performance, and confirming its suitability for Australia and other nations. Our collaboration with Thales Australia enables us to offer the proven and fielded NSM Coastal Defence System (CDS) capability in a mobile, protected and locally built configuration that aligns with the force structure of Australia and other nations.” The NSM fifth-generation cruise missile can perform both maritime strike and land-attack missions. To date, it has generated 14 customers, one of the most recent being Australia. The NSM can be fired from the decks of warships or from land-based vehicles as part of the NSM CDS. In the latter configuration, the NSM is already operated by Poland and the USMC, and it has been selected by three other NATO members. Kongsberg and Thales said that if the StrikeMaster is chosen by Canberra, then the system would be built in Australia using more than 150 local suppliers. Furthermore, Kongsberg is building a missile factory near Newcastle that will start delivering missiles in 2027. The StrikeMaster is competing against the HIMARS-Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) combo from Lockheed Martin. On 30 September, the USA notified of a potential US$705 million Foreign Military Sale to Australia of 48 HIMARS launchers, on top of 42 already contracted to the Australian Army. It is likely this notification related to Land 8113 Phase 2. However, it does not mean that the PrSM has yet been given the formal nod, as such FMS requests are routine in order to obtain pricing before any contract is signed. On the other hand, Australia has already invested millions of dollars in co-development of PrSM Increment 2, which adds a dual-mode seeker to the missile to allow it to strike moving ships up to 500km away. In other news relating to Kongsberg Australia, the company announced on 7 October that NSM missile launchers built at the firm’s facility in Mawson Lakes have now been certified as “Australian made”. Australian companies Aerobond Defence fabricates the launch canisters, QPE Advanced Machining supplies machined components, Marand makes the launcher frame and rail assemblies, and another Victorian company makes machined components too. Australia is the first country to manufacture NSM launchers outside Europe or the USA. It has already secured export orders for these from a European customer.
