(Washington, D.C.) The Navy is taking its Littoral Combat Ship-mounted over-the-horizon Naval Strike Missile to new attack levels by better connecting it with other weapons systems, command and control technologies and “nodes” operating within a broader maritime warfare network.
“We have proven NSM and are increasing the ability to interface with more missiles than what is on LCS. We are integrating it within the combat system,” Capt. Jason Kipp, program manager, PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, told an Audience at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space Symposium.
More tests for this expanded technical targeting capacity are expected in coming months, as it is the kind of adjustment able to greatly improve the target envelope and precision-guidance of the weapon.
The concept, according to numerous Navy strategy documents, is to better arm the entire surface fleet with offensive and defensive weapons intended to improve the ship’s attack reach, blue-water combat capability and of course land-attacks resulting from Littoral operations.
The NSM, which can fire as far as 100 nautical miles, is now being integrated onto the Navy’s entire fleet of Independence variant LCS ships.
“Over the last years we have accelerated that install. We are working with PACFLEET to arm every Independent variant with NSM before she goes (deploys),” Kipp said.
Some of the weapon’s key attributes, such as range and precision guidance, seem to lend themselves to the kind of multi-domain use now being pursued by the Navy.
