Missile · Sea

Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

Anti-ship cruise missile for ship and coastal-defense launchers.

by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace · First fielded 2012

FieldedMissileSeaFielded2012

Milestones1
Operators—
Components—
Programs—
Capabilities—
Inputs—

Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Navy)

Timeline1

2012FieldedConfirmed
First deployment with Royal Norwegian Navy

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

In Service

First fielded: 2012

Cost to the Government

Missiles · Kongsberg / RTX

Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

Compare platform costs →

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps procurement budgets, a Navy multiyear award and a separate Danish package establish the purchasing picture.

Approximate procurement funding / round

$2.001M

FY2025 request · March 2024 · Nominal USD; source budget basis

Derived and rounded: $204.1M Navy/USMC procurement divided by 102 requested rounds. Includes the source procurement scope; not a quoted hardware or export price.

DoD Comptroller ↗

U.S. inventory

Not verified

A current U.S. inventory was not established. Annual procurement, cumulative deliveries and production capacity are not a stockpile count.

Navy / USMC requested rounds

102

FY2025 request · U.S. only; stated source scope

12 Navy plus 90 Marine Corps missiles. Not deliveries or stockpile.

DoD Comptroller ↗

Annual RDT&E funding

$2M / yr

FY2025 · FY2025 budget book · Nominal USD; source budget basis

Missiles & Munitions 5-19. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure.

DoD Comptroller ↗

Ship and shore installations have their own costs

The Navy and Marine Corps buy the same missile configuration in the source budget, but weapon-system installations and launch vehicles are additional cost scopes. The Danish contract includes installed equipment.

DoD Comptroller ↗Kongsberg ↗

Operations & sustainment

Annual operations & support

Not verified

A complete, system-specific annual operating and support cost was not established. Procurement, replacement rounds and contract support are different measures.

Cost over time · 6 observations

Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.

Naval Strike Missile (NSM) cost history
Observation	Measure	Amount	Dollar basis	Evidence
FY2023 · FY2025 budget book	Navy / USMC procurement funding Combined annual procurement amount; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures, not unit prices.	$233.4M	Nominal USD; source budget basis	DoD Comptroller ↗
FY2024 · FY2025 budget book	Navy / USMC procurement funding Combined annual procurement amount; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures, not unit prices.	$244.7M	Nominal USD; source budget basis	DoD Comptroller ↗
FY2025 · FY2025 budget book	Navy / USMC procurement funding Combined annual procurement amount; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures, not unit prices.	$204.1M	Nominal USD; source budget basis	DoD Comptroller ↗
FY2023 · FY2025 budget book	Annual RDT&E funding Missiles & Munitions 5-19. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure.	$8.1M / yr	Nominal USD; source budget basis	DoD Comptroller ↗
FY2024 · FY2025 budget book	Annual RDT&E funding Missiles & Munitions 5-19. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure.	$5.2M / yr	Nominal USD; source budget basis	DoD Comptroller ↗
FY2025 · FY2025 budget book	Annual RDT&E funding Missiles & Munitions 5-19. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure.	$2M / yr	Nominal USD; source budget basis	DoD Comptroller ↗

Contracts & purchasing · 2 records

Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.

2024-11-12 · Firm-fixed-price multiyear award
U.S. Navy → Kongsberg
$960.8M · quantity not established
Over-the-Horizon Weapon System NSM award; purchased quantity is not established by the release.
NAVSEA ↗
2025-03-06 · Signed foreign procurement
Denmark via Norway → Kongsberg
Value not verified · quantity not established
NOK2.1B for missiles and installed equipment. USD value is intentionally unset because no exchange-rate conversion was verified.
Kongsberg ↗

Connected missiles & systems

Coastal launcher and missile
Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS)
Marine Corps NMESIS employs NSM; launcher and missile procurement have separate cost scopes.
DoD Comptroller ↗

International buyers

Denmark · Quantity not verified · Signed purchase · 2025-03-06
NOK2.1B package for Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates; quantity undisclosed.
Kongsberg ↗

Coverage & open research

Current U.S. inventory and complete annual operating-and-support costs require additional public evidence.
Buyer records are selected examples, not a complete global order book.
The displayed R&D reference is annual funding or a specified multi-year request window, not a verified lifetime total.

Unit cost (per round)Reported
$2.2M
Estimate / observation: 2020-12-11 · Then-year $ · 15 units · FY2021
FY2021 Navy budget request unit price for the Naval Strike Missile (OTH-WS encanistered missile) as reported by The War Zone from official budget documents; the Navy requested only 15 NSMs in FY2021.
Source

Budget by fiscal year
Fiscal year	Appropriation	Request	Enacted	Qty	Budget line	Source
FY2027	RDT&E	$9.8M	—	—	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2027	Procurement	$297M	—	135	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2027	Total	$307M	—	135	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2026	RDT&E	$19.1M	$11.7M	—	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2026	Procurement	$200M	$253M	106	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2026	Total	$219M	$264M	106	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2025	RDT&E	—	$40.9M	—	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2025	Procurement	—	$204M	102	—	SourceConfirmed
FY2025	Total	—	$245M	102	—	SourceConfirmed

Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.