A spectacular demonstration of NATO firepower in Norwegian waters was provided by the British warship HMS Somerset, with the Duke Class (Type 23) frigate conducting the first ever Royal Navy firing of a Naval Strike Missile (NSM). This was on the Andøya range, and HMS Somerset’s sailors were working with Norwegian and Polish personnel, along with civilian technicians. The Norwegian origin NSM has replaced the US-manufactured Harpoon as the main anti-shipping weapon of the British fleet’s major surface combatants. The NSM is currently also fitted to sister vessels HMS Richmond and HMS Portland. The firing by Somerset was part of Aegir 25, an exercise that also saw missile firings using land-based launch systems and by Norway’s Coastal Ranger Command.