US destroyer fires first naval attack missile, US Navy confirms

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) fires the first Naval Strike Missile from a U.S. destroyer. (US Navy)

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) was able to conduct the first demonstration launch of a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) from a US Navy (USN) destroyer, the USN confirmed on October 23.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS
Fitzgerald
(DDG 62) fired the first NSM on July 18 while the ship was participating in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, USN officials said.

NSWC PHD and its partners installed the first long-range over-the-horizon (OTH) weapon system for surface-to-surface warfare on a DDG in time to launch the NSM on a decommissioned ship during the exercise can, USN officials said.

The Navy has been looking for ways to increase its firepower by increasing missile payload and launch options.
For more information about these efforts, see Special Report: Lockheed Martin commercializes container launch vehicle technology with hypersonic capability.

The Navy has installed OTH systems on “approximately a dozen” Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) over the past five years, the USN noted. The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations began urging naval engineers to install OTH in September 2023
Fitzgerald
in time for the “RIMPAC 2024” demonstration.

Typically, a first-class installation of this type takes at least two years, Robert Honeycutt, Alteration Installation Team leader at NSWC PHD's Virginia Beach Detachment in Virginia, noted in a statement.

The system's main components are the launcher and an operator interface console, USN officials said, adding that the system also requires a navigation adapter for compatibility with the destroyer.

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