On Friday, March 13, 2026, the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, signed a contract worth 45,544,458 USD with the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) for the production of components of the Coastal Defense System (CDS) battery, based on NSM (Naval Strike Missile) anti-ship missiles, for Latvia.
Photo: KDA
The full amount of funding was obligated at the time of contract award and will not expire until the end of the current fiscal year (September 30, 2026). However, the agreement also includes options which, if exercised, would increase its total cumulative value to 56,344,728 USD. The contract is being executed under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Latvia.
Work will be carried out in the following locations: Kongsberg, Norway (63%); Kangasala, Finland (9%); Turin, Italy (9%); Andøya, Norway (3%); Billingstad, Norway (2%); Vigrestad, Norway (1%); Hvidovre, Denmark (1%); Cambridge, United Kingdom (1%); and various other locations accounting for less than 1% each (11%). Completion is scheduled for July 2030, with work continuing through November 2031 if all options are exercised.
It is worth recalling that on May 2, 2023, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced State Department approval for a potential sale to Latvia of an NSM-CDS battery package valued at up to 110 million USD.
The government in Riga requested the potential acquisition of, among other items, live missiles, telemetry rounds, training shapes, transport containers, mobile command and fire control centers, transport and loading vehicles, as well as training equipment and support.
The first information about Latvia’s intention to procure NSM missiles appeared on December 26, 2022, via the Delfi news agency, which cited then-Minister of Defence Ināra Mūrniece. She stated that an agreement was planned for spring 2023, with negotiations having begun in September 2022, although they were later delayed.
NSM missiles, as the effector of coastal defense systems, are primarily used in Poland (within the Naval Missile Unit and, in the future, the Naval Missile Brigade), as well as by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), where they are deployed on unmanned ROGUE Fires launchers. In the coming years, Romania and Bulgaria (also NSM-CDS in the base configuration), Germany (as part of the MARS 3/EuroPuls multiple rocket launcher system), and potentially Denmark are expected to join. Denmark has announced plans to procure a coastal defense system, though without specifying the missile type, despite already ordering NSM missiles for its naval vessels. The system is also being offered in Australia for the StrikeMaster launcher.
The NSM missile was developed in the early 21st century and was initially delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces between 2011 and 2015 under the name Nytt sjømålsmissil. Today, NSM missiles are in service with the armed forces of 15 countries (including 12 NATO and EU members). In addition to those mentioned above, operators include Belgium, Spain (selected on September 9, 2022), Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway (which ordered additional missiles on December 22, 2022), the Kingdom of the Netherlands (December 12, 2022), the United States (including use by the U.S. Navy on LCS-class ships), the United Kingdom, and potentially Ukraine.