The Strikemaster comprises the Thales Australia Bushmaster Ute and a Kongsberg twin-pack NSM launcher. Photo: Screenshot Kongsberg.
An Australian-designed anti-ship missile system that is being pitched for a major Army defence contract has conducted a successful test firing in Norway.
Based on the Thales Australia Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle (PMV), the Strikemaster comprises a Bushmaster cab and utility body and a two-pack launcher for the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM).
As the NSM and its launcher is of Norwegian origin, the initial test firing was conducted at Kongsberg’s test range in Norway while development continues at Kongsberg Defence Australia’s (KDA) Adelaide integration centre.
The NSM entered service with the Royal Australian Navy last year and has been integrated with the RAN’s three Hobart-class destroyers and six remaining Anzac-class frigates.
The Strikemaster is one of two contenders for the Australian Army’s Project LAND 8113 Phase 2 land-based maritime strike (LBMS) requirement, a shortlist for which was announced last December, and decision on which is believed to be imminent.
The other option is Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) armed with 500 km range Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM).
The US State Department recently approved a possible acquisition of 48 more HIMARS systems for Australia, although this is just an approval process and doesn’t necessarily denote a contract will follow.
The Army has previously ordered 42 HIMARS systems for its Project LAND 8113 Phase 2 long-range precision strike requirements using 100 km range GMLRS missiles, and the first of these systems was delivered to Australia in March.
KDA is promoting the Strikemaster as a low-risk sovereign capability which is mobile and able to attack maritime targets at ranges of 200 km. The NSM will soon also be manufactured in Australia at KDA’s facility being built at Newcastle Airport in NSW, while the launch cannisters are also manufactured in Adelaide. The Bushmaster vehicle is built at Bendigo in Victoria.
Conversely, the HIMARS and its launch modules are built in Texas at Alabama in the US, although there are long-term plans to assemble the PrSM in Australia in the future.
The vehicle-launched NSM has already been proven, with land-based strike-configured vehicles already in service with Poland and the US Marine Corps (USMC), and additional vehicle-launched coastal defence system (CDS) variants on order for three NATO nations.
The Strikemaster configuration is similar to the launcher used by the USMC’s proven NMESIS Ground Based Anti-Ship Missile program, which is currently being deployed in the region.
KDA’s Managing Director John Fry said the test firing was 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 CDS capability in a mobile, protected, and locally built configuration that aligns with the force structure of Australia and other nations,” he said.
Thales Australia’s CEO Jeff Connolly added, “This successful live-fire 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.”
