Navy destroyer modified with naval attack missiles participates in RIMPAC war games

The US Navy Arleigh Burke Class destroyer USS Fitzgerald participates in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise off Hawaii with a unique modification: Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship cruise missiles instead of the RGM-84 Harpoons. The stealthy NSMs have been enjoying increasing popularity in the US military for years, both in ship and ground versions, as well as in foreign navies. Certain subclasses of Arleigh Burke Destroyers are also currently undergoing a variety of other upgrades, some of which involve radical physical changes to support new radar and electronic warfare systems.

Marine News was the first to discover the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) with its new NSM launchers following the destroyer’s arrival at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for RIMPAC 2024, which began June 27. It is unknown when the ship swapped out its Harpoons for the new missiles, and details about the integration are limited. The war zone has contacted the Navy for further information.

At the time of writing this article Fitzgerald is the only one of the 73 Arleigh Burke Destroyers known to have received NSMs. The entire Arleigh Burke The class fleet includes examples of three main subclasses (Flights I, II and III) as well as several subvariants of Flight II. The service recently received another Arleigh Burkethe future USS John Basilonea Flight IIA Technology Insertion ship, but this ship has yet to be officially commissioned.

Only Flight I and Basic Flight II Arleigh Burke’s are armed with harpoons. Fitzgerald is an early Flight I version.

Until now, Fitzgerald was only observed when a pair of missile pods were loaded on one of the two NSM launchers at the ship’s stern. The launchers can each hold up to four missiles at a time. The destroyer’s previous Harpoon anti-ship missile installation also included two four-shot launchers.

Developed by Kongsberg Defense in Norway, NSM is a stealth design that features GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) and an imaging infrared seeker. The seeker is used to acquire a general target area before switching to the seeker for final engagement of the target. The seeker is passive and therefore immune to interference from radio electronic weapons. The guidance package also gives the missile a secondary land attack capability at fixed target coordinates. More information on NSM and its capabilities can be found here.

Harpoon is a non-stealthy design that relies on an active radar seeker in the final phase of flight. The Navy is in the process of upgrading at least part of its inventory of these missiles to the Block II+ standard, which adds a new GPS-assisted INS guidance capability and a two-way data link so the missile can receive new targeting data or even be completely reprogrammed in flight. Block II+ Harpoons also have increased “reliability and survivability… and improved resilience to electronic countermeasures” compared to their predecessors, according to an official fact sheet.

NSM, which has a longer range but also a smaller warhead than Harpoon, could provide a capability boost for the Navy at relatively low cost. Arleigh Burke class destroyer. NSM would also provide an additional range attack capability, one level below that of the Tomahawk cruise missile. The Navy is also working to increase its capabilities for using Tomahawks in anti-ship warfare.

Replacing Harpoons with NSMs could bring logistical and other benefits as the Norwegian missile becomes more widely used within the U.S. military and among allies and partners. The Navy continues to move forward with plans to integrate NSMs into its existing independence And Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and the missiles are to be part of the armament package for the future of the service constellation Frigates of the class.

The Navy has in the past explored the possibility of deploying NSM on other ships, including amphibious warfare ships, to increase its overall surface-based attack capability. The Navy expects a significant decline in the overall missile launch capability on its surface warships and submarines in the near future due to the impending retirement of its Ticonderoga Cruiser of the class and Ohio Class guided missile submarines. This remains a cause for concern, especially given the major delays in constellation Class. Congress has now directed the Navy to examine alternative options to expand its ability to conduct anti-ship and other attacks from the sea.

The US Marine Corps also fields a ground-based NSM system that uses a remotely operated mobile launcher derived from the 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). Raytheon is working with Kongsberg to increase production of NSMs in the US.

Marine News has reported the possibility that all remaining Flight I Arleigh Burke’sthe oldest ships in the class, could receive NSMs in the future. The Navy explicitly denied having such plans in a statement to this source in 2021. A review of the Navy’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposal released in March appears to contain no mention of a broader effort to integrate NSMs into any of these destroyers.

RIMPAC 2024 offers an ideal opportunity for at least a proof-of-concept test of an NSM-equipped Arleigh Burkethat could influence future decisions. U.S. and foreign warships, aircraft and other assets will work together to restore the former USS Tarawaa decommissioned amphibious assault ship, as part of this year’s iteration of the exercise. This will already be a particularly remarkable event, as Tarawa’s Size and overall construction, such as The war zone previously reported. The Navy has already fired an NSM in a sinking exercise (SINKEX), with the independence Class LCS USS Gabrielle Giffords after firing one of the missiles at the former USS forddecommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate, in 2019.

The Navy has further major modernization plans for the Arleigh Burke Class. Four Flight IIA types will receive new radars, electronic warfare equipment and other upgrades at various stages, requiring massive changes to the ship’s main structure and completely changing its external appearance, as you can read more about here.

All Arleigh Burke The Mk 15 Phalanx-class destroyers will also have their Close-Intensity Weapon Systems (CIWS) replaced by one of two types of launchers equipped with RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAMs). Some ships in this class are already equipped with RAMs.

The introduction of stealth NSMs could now also be possible for other Arleigh Burke’s beyond the USS Fitzgerald.

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