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Since the Navy announced its decision to modify the two existing Littoral Combat Ship designs for the frigate, two systems have emerged as likely contenders for the OTH business — Boeing with a modified version of its 1980s era RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile and a Raytheon-Kongsberg team with Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) based on Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile (JSM).

via Navy Issues RFI for New Frigate Anti-Surface Missile – USNI News.

My preference so far is the Raytheon-Kongsberg NSM. It’s a good deal more stealthy than the Harpoon variant.

Key to any over the horizon ASM will be the ability to update targeting during the time of flight via a datalink. The current US Navy ASM, the Harpoon, is a fire and forget weapon. Now, that makes sense given the era it was designed in. But times have changed. If you’re shooting in littoral waters, and there are multiple vessels around, you don’t want to hit an innocent neutral ship. If nothing else, it’s wasteful.