Raytheon will provide US Navy with Naval Strike Missiles.

Raytheon Company will integrate the Naval Strike Missile into the U.S. Marine Corps' existing force structure under a $47.59 million Other Transaction Authority agreement with Marine Corps Systems Command. A USMC NSM supports the 2018 National Defense Strategy and Commandant of the Marine Corps modernization efforts.

The US Marine Corps has decided to spend $48 million on Raytheon's Naval Strike Missile, a long-range precision-strike anti-ship missile (Picture source: Raytheon)

NSM is a long-range, precision strike missile that can detect and destroy heavily defended land and sea targets at long distances. In 2018, the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon a contract to manufacture and deliver NSM as the Navy's over-the-horizon weapon system for littoral combat ships and future frigates. The Marine Corps' selection of the Navy's anti-ship missile enhances joint interoperability and reduces costs and logistical burdens.

"This fifth-generation missile adds another dimension for sea control operations and for protection from adversary warships," said Kim Ernzen, vice president of Raytheon Air Warfare Systems.

NSM is the latest product produced in partnership with Norway and its defense leader Kongsberg. A mobile, land-based NSM is deployed with Poland's coastal defense forces.