Latvia Orders Naval Strike Missiles

Latvia and the United States signed a $105 million agreement for the acquisition of Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense Systems.

Latvian Minister of Defense, Andris Sprūds, said, “Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence Systems will expand the range of capabilities available to the National Armed Forces and will play an integral role in our national defence. It will enable us to protect our coastal area and safety of shipping lanes. These systems will also be available for Alliance’s collective defence when necessary.”

The procurement, arriving in 2027, involves a cost-sharing model with the U.S. covering 70%.

Latvia aligns with other NATO members in adopting these defense systems. The comprehensive package, approved by the U.S. State Department in May, includes launchers, missiles, training equipment, spare parts, and personnel training.

This move aligns with Latvia's commitment to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2025, as per amendments to the Law on Financing National Defence in April 2022.

The Naval Strike Missile, jointly produced by Kongsberg and Raytheon, is a subsonic anti-ship missile with a length of 4 meters and a mass of 410 kg. It offers a range of over 185 kilometers, targeting both sea and land objectives. Equipped with a modern target recognition system, the missile can effectively hit targets within the specified range.