Leidos Australia and Kongsberg Defence Australia have signed an MoU to assess integrating Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) onto Leidos’ next-generation uncrewed surface vessels, the Sea Archer and its larger counterpart, Longbow.
The collaboration will explore how pairing the NSM with advanced USVs could extend strike range, enhance responsiveness, and expand mission flexibility for maritime operations.
The NSM is a precision-guided, sea-skimming cruise missile featuring autonomous target recognition and advanced maneuvering in the terminal phase to defeat modern air defenses. It can engage targets beyond 300 kilometers (186 miles).
Sea Archer, currently under development in Australia, is a high-speed modular USV engineered for rapid mission reconfiguration across strike, ISR, electronic warfare, and logistics roles. Powered by Leidos autonomy software and AI-enabled command systems, it reaches speeds of 40 knots (74 km/46 mph), has a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,778 km/1,726 mi), and carries payloads of more than 900 kilograms (1,984 lb).
Longbow, the larger vessel, supports payloads of up to 3,000 kilograms (6,614 lb) and is powered by four 300-horsepower OXE diesel engines, delivering an operational range of over 2,750 nautical miles (5,093 km/3,165 mi).
