StrikeMaster - A Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Demonstrator armed with 2x NSM missiles

Til_Dovre_Faller · December 3, 2025, 9:05pm

STRIKEMASTER

TYPE: Land Based Maritime Strike Vehicle

ARMAMENT

Spoiler

1 Double Launcher for: 2x Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles
NSM - Naval Strike Missile
-Total weight: 400 kg with booster
-Mass: 350 kg without booster
-Length: 3.96 m with booster
-Length: 3.48 m bare missile
-Width: 700 mm stowed
-Width: 1.36 m wings deployed
-Warhead: Titanium-cased penetrating blast and controlled fragmentation
-Warhead weight: 120 kg, 100kg tnt equailent
-Engine: Microturbo TRI-40 turbojet with solid rocket booster
-Maximum speed: Mach 0.93 (316 m/s)
-Guidance system: GPS-aided INS (GAINS), laser altimeter, TERCOM, Imaging Infra-Red (IIR)

TECHNICAL DATA
Mass: 11,400 kg
Length: 7,180 mm
Width: 2,480 mm
Height: 2,650 mm
Fuel capacity: 319 L
Operational range: 800 km
Maximum speed: 100 km/h
Steering system: Power assisted
Eigne: Caterpillar 3126E 7.2L six-cylinder diesel, turbocharged 300 hp

HISTORY
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace in Australia and Thales Defence Austaralia teamed up and started cooperating with designing a new vehicle. As Australia wanted to have land based anti ship missiles to improve their coastal defence. The vehicle was launched for the Australian Sea/Land 4100 Phase 2 Land Based Maritime Strike program. This vehicle was first seen at the Land forces event in 2022, and are one of multiple contenders in this program, it has not been chosen by any nation yet.

The vehicle is an Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle is designed and built by Thales Australia, its designed to withstand landmines and small arms fire up to14mm anti tank rounds, in addition to the ability to carry infantry. Its development started in the early 1990’s and the vehicle were firstly put in service in 1997. This vehicle were chosen for the StrikeMaster prototype due to it being Australian and an unusual local produced vehicle, thinking of maintenance and service, if Australia were to choose this vehicle over the other contenders.

The launcher is from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, and fires the NSM -Naval Strike Missile developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. KDA has departments all around the world, and KDA Australia produces and delivers various solutions for Australia. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Australia in cooperation with Thales Australia worked together to build this prototype, and had the Bushmaster vehicle modified to fit the NSM launcher which was integrated and for the first time shown to the public in 2022.

This vehicle has not yet been put in use or trialed by any nation, and is so far a tech demonstrator by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. As recently as in Late October 2025, specifically the 22nd of October 2025 the vehicle was test fired at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s shooting range at Heistadmoen, Norway. The StrikeMaster is equipped with an integrated Fire Control Centre and is able to target and fire the missile independently.

The vehicle targets using a combination of pre-mission data, an passive imaging infrared IIR seeker, and an onboard target database. After the missile is being launched, the missile itself navigates using GPS and inertial guidance, and it then uses its IIR sensor to identify and lock onto a target without emitting a signal. It performs terminal maneuvers and flies at a low, sea-skimming altitude to make it difficult for enemies to detect and intercept. The NSM missile can both be used against targets on Sea and on Land, the NSM also has three modes, which in game could be chosen by pressing a key bind similar to the Russian Pantsir in game which is ALT + L to change between LOS, LEAD and automatic. The three modes of the NSM are as following; No.1, “Boost”, Climbs to about 200 Meter altitude, where it then pitch over and descend towards the target. No.2 “Cruise”, settles at an altitude of 3-10 meter, depending on conditions and whether or not it is at land or sea “Sea skimming” or “Terrain Hugging”, it’s also invisible to radars at this height. No.3, “Terminal”. Pop to 200 Meter altitude, dives, IIR Lock + Weave, unpredictable movement. It could be chosen between these modes depending on the maps and conditions. From how i understand it, in-game, the way we would target any vehicles would be to set a point of interest like we can do in Helicopters and Planes, or the Penguin Mk.3 missile, where you then launch the missile and the missile itself scans the area and targets whatever vehicle it detects.

In the video of the test firing we can see the StrikeMaster being equipped one brown and one white canister, this along with the cables running from the canister and the block on the ground is for the diagnosis of the missile during the testing.

IN GAME
With the minimum range being rather far, it’s quite limited. However, they say the approx. distance is 3 kilometer, wich could mean a little less, so i guess it could just work. Several maps, have the possibility to engage enemies at 3km +, maps like fields of Poland, sands of Sinai, European province are a couple examples. But for that extra distance simulator maps/mode are preferred. The missile is fast, and very hard for anti air to counter, so in the right conditions it could be devastating considering it’s warhead and will probably be able to destroy several vehicles if hit right, but it heavily depends on the maps. With the ammo crate, it gets 2 additional rounds.