Ukraine may buy NSM anti-ship missile systems from Poland: negotiations are underway
Ukraine is negotiating with Poland to purchase components of the NSM (Naval Strike Missile) anti-ship missile system. According to the Polish edition of Defence24, a possible version of the deal involves Kyiv buying an entire division or individual elements of the system that can be used against sea and land targets.
The main weapon of the NSM system is the Norwegian Kongsberg missile, which has the ability to neutralize ships and ground targets at distances of over 200 km. It is important to note that the NSM missile weighs only 400 kg, which makes it hardly visible on radar.
Poland has two fully equipped NSM divisions in service. Each of them consists of two batteries with three launchers, command vehicles, a mobile communications center, PIT-RADWAR radars for target detection and tracking, and logistics vehicles.
The NSM is designed to be able to use data from external sources, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, which gives it great flexibility. Currently, the NSM is used by the armies of the United States, Romania, Latvia, the United States, Norway, and is planned to be introduced in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Poland purchased the first NSM in 2008, and the second one – for PLN 800 million – was ordered in 2014. Both contracts were accompanied by technology transfer, which allowed Polish industry, in particular the military plants in Zielona Zbigniew, to acquire competencies to support the NSM system and produce their own missiles for the NSM.
