A Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile blast test vehicle is launched from an Australian-built NSM launcher at testing facilities in South Australia. (Kongsberg)
Kongsberg Defence Australia has test-fired for the first time a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) blast test vehicle (BTV) from an Australian-built NSM launcher.
The company said on 11 December that the test was performed in line with its commitment to deliver NSMs to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under the Project Sea 1300 Phase 1 (Navy Guided Weapons) programme. The test was undertaken at the government's Proof and Experimental Establishment at Port Wakefield in South Australia.
The BTV comprises an NSM booster rocket motor and a dummy missile and is used to test the full launcher functionality in a live-firing event. Kongsberg said the firing comprised the “final element” of the first-of-type testing of an Australian-built NSM launcher, which was assembled from locally sourced components at Kongsberg's new production and maintenance facility at Mawson Lakes, South Australia.
The launcher canister was produced by Aerobond Defence, an Adelaide-based composite and sheet metal manufacturing company, and the BTV's frame and rail were manufactured by Marand Precision Engineering in Melbourne. Launcher components were built by Australian Precision Technologies in Melbourne and QPE Advanced Machining in Adelaide.
Kongsberg Defence Australia's managing director John Fry said the BTV test-firing was a “key milestone in the delivery of the NSM capability to the Royal Australian Navy”. He added, “It now allows Kongsberg Defence Australia to commence full-rate production of Australian-made NSM launchers for the NSM programme.”
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