The Netherlands, following the UK, will replace Harpoon anti-ship missiles with NSM

At the end of November, the UK announced an order for Norwegian Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missiles.

replacement for the American Harpoon. Three weeks later, another European country did the same.

What is known

The Dutch Ministry of Defense announcedordering NSM anti-ship cruise missiles for its Zeven Provinciën-class frigates. The cost of the contract and the number of missiles have not yet been specified. Deliveries will begin in 2025.

NSM has several advantages over Harpoon,in addition to the launch range of 185 km versus 125 km. The Norwegian missile has thermal imaging guidance, can hit ground targets and is made using stealth technology, which makes it less noticeable to enemy radars.

The Block II level Harpoon weighs over 620kg andwarhead weight is 221 kg. The rocket can reach speeds of 850 km/h. The NSM weighs approximately 400 kg including the 125 kg warhead and booster. At the same time, the maximum speed is 0.95 Mach numbers (1173 km / h).