According to the Latvian Ministry of Defense, the Baltic country has signed agreements to buy the Naval Strike Missile from the United States through Norwegian company Kongsberg and the US manufacturer Raytheon. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spr?ds made this statement:
“We highly appreciate the contribution of the US to our national security at a time when the world is facing various geopolitical challenges. Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence Systems will expand the range of capabilities available to the National Armed Forces and will play an integral role in our national defence. It will enable us to protect our coastal area and safety of shipping lanes. These systems will also be available for Alliance’s collective defence when necessary.”
U.S. Ambassador Christopher Robinson added: “With today’s announcement, we mark an important milestone in the longstanding security cooperation between the United States and Latvia. Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine has shown that democratic countries need to stand together at the guard of their sovereignty, values and freedom. The United States is proud to support Latvia in building its defensive capabilities.”
The total cost of the procurement will be 105M USD with the U.S. government covering 70% of the cost and the Latvian government covering the remaining 30%. These batteries will be delivered by 2028. This transaction signals the importance to the U.S. government of placing capable anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles in the Baltic Sea, effectively hindering Russian naval operations near St.Petersburg and even Kaliningrad.
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). Each missile costs about 2.5M USD and has a range about about 130 nautical miles.
