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Kongsberg and Thales Australia’s StrikeMaster launch system has been successfully used in Naval Strike Missile testing in Norway.
StrikeMaster, Kongsberg and Thales Australia’s joint missile launch system, has been successfully tested in the live-firing of a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) test munition in Norway.
Kongsberg’s managing director, John Fry, said the firing gives 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.
The NSM, a part of the Coastal Defence System, can be launched from ships or trucks without any modifications needing to be made, making it a mobile and flexible asset. StrikeMaster, the Australian configuration of the NSM CDS, utilises Thales’ Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle as the platform for a twin NSM launcher. StrikeMaster includes a fire control centre and missile re-supply vehicle, using Bushmaster as the primary platform.
“Our collaboration with Thales Australia enables us to offer the proven and fielded NSM CDS capability in a mobile, protected and locally built configuration that aligns with the force structure of Australia and other nations,” Fry said.
Demonstrating the suitability of Thales’ Bushmaster Utility as the launch platform for the NSM, the fifth-generation, stealth cruise missile has been selected by 14 nations, including the US and the UK, and has been entered into service with the Royal Australian Navy since 2024.
The StrikeMaster NSM CDS system will be built in Australia in Kongsberg and Thales factories across Adelaide and Bendigo, with over 150 local suppliers and 700 Australian jobs reaping the economic reward and remaining localised. The NSM will be manufactured in the Kongsberg Missile Factory near Newcastle, with deliveries commencing in 2027.
Thales’ CEO, Jeff Connolly, said the successful live-fire in Norway “proves the combination of the NSM and Bushmaster can provide a potent land-based maritime-strike capability for Australia and our allies, and it will be made right here in Australia, supporting a sovereign industrial base”.
