Royal Navy: HMS Portland Lieutenant Commander praises missile upgrades with frigate ready to "fight and win"

Lt Cdr Gary Chambers, Weapon Engineer Officer aboard HMS Portland, is confident the recent addition of Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) will boost her capabilities. A total of eight missiles were attached to the Type 23 Duck-class frigate at a factory in Norway.

“Through close collaboration with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and DE&S Torpedoes and Maritime Strike, the successful completion of NSM trials has ensured that HMS Portland is prepared for future tasking,” Lt Cdr Chambers said. “We are embracing this technology in defence of the nation and are equipped to fight and win.”

The NSM weapons have replaced their Harpoon counterparts, with the Royal Navy announcing in November 2022 that the new weapons would be fitted to 11 of its frigates and destroyers. HMS Somerset was the previous vessel to be upgraded more than a year ago. Navy Lookout reported that persistent mechanical problems has stopped an inaugural firing of the weapon from taking place on the ship.

HMS Portland recently completed carried out alignment and sea acceptance trials with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway’s premier supplier of defence systems, and the UK’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) at Haakonsvern Naval Base, the Norwegian Navy’s primary base, near Bergen. The ship’s company have been trained in onloading and offloading the weapons into the specially designed compartments.

A harbour trial ensured the whole NSM system, including the missiles themselves, were properly functioning and working with the ship’s other systems and sensors. The alignment and sea acceptance trials saw Silverbird, a telemetry variation of NSM, embarked and involved high speed manoeuvres to ensure the system can be operated effectively during operations in difficult seas.

Øyvind Kolset, executive vice president of missiles and space at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, said: “With the completion of its Harbour Acceptance Test, NSM has been successfully integrated into HMS Portland. We are impressed by the professionalism of the Royal Navy, and the close cooperation that played a key role in making this such a successful event.”

HMS Portland will go into a planned maintenance period before onloading the missiles again for future operations in 2025. The NSM will be the predecessor to the ‘future offensive surface weapon’, which will become the Fleet’s premier long-range, heavy duty anti-ship missile. These will be fitted to the new Type 26 City-class frigates being built.