The U.S. Marine Corps awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace a contract worth up to $404.4 million for full-rate production of Naval Strike Missile launchers and fire control systems. No funds were obligated at award, with money to follow as individual orders are placed through September 2034.
What's happening
- The Marine Corps awarded Kongsberg a firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract worth up to $404.4 million.
- The deal covers the Naval Strike Missile Launcher Unit, its Weapon Control System and related support equipment.
- Kongsberg will do 85% of the work in Norway and 15% in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, through September 24, 2034.
- No money was obligated at award, with funding to follow as the Marine Corps places individual orders.
Why it matters
- NMESIS has become the Marine Corps' main long-range anti-ship weapon after it dropped plans for a ground-launched Tomahawk.
- The fiscal 2027 budget request calls for 32 NMESIS launchers and 103 Naval Strike Missiles, signaling planned production scale.
- The sole-source award ties a core Marine Corps strike capability to Kongsberg's production line in Norway.
Going deeper
- The Naval Strike Missile weighs 407 kg, flies sea-skimming at high subsonic speed, and Kongsberg lists its range beyond 300 km.
- Each NMESIS launcher, built on an unmanned Oshkosh ROGUE-Fires vehicle, carries two missiles and needs no crew cab.
- Marines have exercised NMESIS in the Philippines and Japan, including moves to Itbayat and Calayan islands during Balikatan 2026.
- Raytheon serves as Kongsberg's U.S. production partner on the missile program.
Financial impact
- The $404.4 million figure is a ceiling that adds to Kongsberg's backlog only as task orders are obligated, timing not disclosed.
- No revenue is recognized at award since the Marine Corps obligated zero dollars when the contract was signed.
- A separate $50.3 million modification awarded in July for launcher missile modules adds to the program's existing backlog.
- Oshkosh's May delivery order for more ROGUE-Fires vehicles, running through September 2028, sets separate revenue timing for that supplier.
The fine print
- The announcement did not say how many launchers or fire control systems the Marine Corps plans to order.
- The award was sole-sourced under a federal rule allowing single-source contracts when only one company can meet the requirement.
- The final contract value depends on future order volume and is not guaranteed to reach the $404.4 million ceiling.
Source: defence-blog.com · Sep 26, 2026 · Drafted with Claude, reviewed by Industrial Base Alpha.
