Yesterday, the U.S. Navy reported that one of its Arleigh Burke destroyers conducted the first over-the-horizon firing of one of the new NSM anti-ship missiles as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises. Specifically, this was carried out by the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), stationed near the coast of Hawaii under the supervision of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC).
In detail, the launch took place on July 18 during a sinking exercise (SINKEX), with an out-of-service ship used as a target. As reported, the deployed NSM traveled a distance of about 50 nautical miles, showcasing its effectiveness in strengthening the U.S. Navy’s long-range strike capabilities. In the words of Eric Romero, OTH program liaison, the launch was “a highly important requirement for the Navy.”
It’s worth noting that to enable this, an Over-the-Horizon (OTH) long-range surface-to-surface weapon system was installed on the USS Fitzgerald, marking the first installation of its kind on a destroyer by the Naval Surface Warfare Center and its partners. In other words, a new operator interface console, a navigation adapter, and the launcher itself had to be installed on the ship.
As stated in the official release issued by the U.S. Navy, this was no minor feat given the tight schedule for integrating OTH capabilities. Only nine months separated the initial order from the start of RIMPAC exercises. According to Robert Honeycutt, manager of the Alteration Installation Team at NSWC’s Virginia Beach Detachment, this process would typically take over two years from design to implementation. Completion of this task was largely due to the collaboration of nearly 20 partners and a particular acceleration of the bureaucratic processes involved.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that prior experience deploying NSM missiles from U.S. Navy vessels also contributed to the effort, with a group of four Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships selected for this purpose. Through one of these ships, the USS Gabrielle Giffords, the U.S. Navy was able to conduct the first tests of the Kongsberg-made system in October 2019, during another SINKEX exercise.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the OTH system installation on the USS Fitzgerald remains “temporary” in documentation, a strategy employed by the NSWC team to expedite the necessary authorizations for testing during RIMPAC. Work is ongoing to secure indefinite authorization, aiming to continue testing on the destroyer to ensure operational readiness for further DDG installations.
Cover image: U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Jordan Jennings
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