Royal Navy: Upgraded HMS Portland fitted with new ferocious missiles in Norway as she hails Nato commitment

HMS Portland has had eight Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) attached to her at a factory in Norway. This restores an anti-surface capability to the Duke-class Type 23 frigate.

A statement posted on the ship’s social media account said: “HMS Portland successfully embarked eight Naval Strike Missiles, restoring our Anti-Surface capability. This is a big step forward in ensuring we are Global, Modern and Ready and further strengthens partnerships with our NATO allies.”

HMS Portland has become the second Type 23 frigate to be fitted with the new weaponry. As previously reported in The News, the Royal Navy announced in November 2022 that NSM would be fitted to 11 of its frigates and destroyers - replacing the previous Harpoon model. HMS Somerset was the previous vessel to be upgraded more than a year ago. Navy Lookout reports that persistent mechanical problems has stopped an inaugural firing of the weapon from taking place on the ship.

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Travelling at speeds close to Mach 1, the 400kg Kongsberg missile can strike at enemies more than 100 miles away, evading detection by skimming over the sea’s surface and eluding enemy defences via evasive manoeuvres. The weapons system was in service with the Norwegian, US and Polish navies when the announcement was made.

Norwegian minister of defence Bjørn Arild Gram previously said: “This is a significant task with an ambitious timeline. Both nations have established a designated team with a strong mandate to ensure the success of this common effort. The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is supporting the joint team with their expertise and the planned integration on the UK vessels.”

NSM is an anti-ship weapon which is can discriminate between friendly and enemy targets, and is effective against small-medium sized vessels. It can also be programmed to attack land targets - relying on its passive optical recognition and inertial navigation techniques to guide the missiles.