Caught on camera: The explosive moment Norwegian navy blew up its OWN ship to test new long-range missile
Military bosses used 300ft long decommissioned frigate for target practice
Fired new 880lb missile at the vessel off coast of Andoy
Frightening footage from on-board camera captures moment of impact
By Steve Robson
PUBLISHED: 12:11 GMT, 6 June 2013 | UPDATED: 16:21 GMT, 6 June 201
This is the explosive moment the Norwegian navy blew up one of its own ships to test out their latest long-range stealth missile.
The KNM Trondheim, a 300ft long decommissioned frigate, was transported out into the sea off the coast of Andoy to be used as target practice.
Dramatic footage released by military bosses captures the countdown before the new 'Naval Strike Missile' - a four-metre long, 880lb weapon - is fired in the direction of the vessel.
The subsonic missile, which has a range of up to 150km, smashed straight into the frigate with pinpoint accuracy.
Video from onboard the KNM Trondheim, shows the frightening moment of impact as a huge fireball erupts and debris spews hundreds of feet into the air.
The vessel suffered major damage as a result of the 275lb warhead and was towed back into a harbour following the exercise.
Stig Klynderud, who oversaw the operation, said: 'The damage to the target ship was as expected and cleanup went according to plan.'
Naval Strike Missiles are the latest generation surface warfare missile system from Scandinavian defence firm Kongsberg and are currently being used by the Norwegian navy.
The Polish navy is also set to arm themselves with the weapon.
Kongsberg is also developing a Joint Strike Missle (JSM) for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Fighter Jets used by the US and Britain's RAF.
Such an overt display of military strength is unusual for Norway, a traditionally neutral country.
It was forced to enter World War Two after being invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940, but the resistance lasted only two months.
Today, the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of around 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels including frigates, patrol boats and submarines.
THE DEADLY STEALTH MISSILE DEVELOPED BY PEACE-LOVING NORWAY
Norway may have a reputation as a largely peaceful nation, but when it comes to arming its navy - no expense has been spared.
The Naval Strike Missile is a sophisticated anti-ship and land-attack weapon developed especially by Norwegian defence and aerospace firm Kongsberg.
The 880lb missile is propelled towards its target at subsonic speed by a Microturbo TRI-40 turbojet.
It is almost four metres long and carries a 125kg warhead which is capable of destroying or severely damaging any naval vessel.
Fitted with a GPS system, it can travel stealthily over coastline, oceans and land.
This agility means it can also pull off last-minute G-force maneuvers to prevent getting shot down.
The combination of an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker and an onboard target database ensures that the missile can seek out and detect targets up to 100 nautical miles away with pinpoint precision.
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