The German government has decided to acquire the Joint Strike Missile for its F-35 fighter jets in an agreement that is expected to be worth about NOK 6.5 billion for Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Kongsberg press release
“We are pleased to welcome Germany as the fifth nation to select the JSM for its F-35 fleet,” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. “The JSM’s navigation system, flight profile and automatic target recognition technology make it a great match for the F-35.”
The proposed acquisition is structured as a government-to-government sale between Norway and Germany, under the Naval Defence Material Cooperation between the two nations. According to the agreement, Norway’s Defence Material Agency (NDMA) will act as contract partner.
The government-to-government agreement for the German procurement of JSM was approved by the Bundestag on 4 June. As referenced during KONGSBERG’s Q1 reporting, negotiations are ongoing. The contract is expected to be signed by the end of the first half of 2025.
Germany will be fifth country to select the JSM alongside existing customers Norway, Japan, Australia and the US.
-End-
About Joint Strike Missile (JSM)
JSM is an air-launched variant of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) with the ability to attack sea and land-based targets. It is the only long-range sea- and land-target missile that can be carried internally in the F-35 thus ensuring the aircraft’s low-signature (stealth) capabilities. Using a combination of advanced materials, the ability to fly low, while following the terrain, and using advanced passive seekers, the missile is extremely difficult to detect and stop even for the most advanced countermeasures and defense systems. Development of the missile was contracted by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA).
The Norwegian Defense Material Agency (FMA or Forsvarsmateriell) in 2021 successfully carried out a first in-flight release of the JSM from F-35A test aircraft AF-1. The test took place above the desert area near Edwards Air Force Base.
Specifications:
- Length: 4 m
- Diameter: 480 mm
- Height: 520 mm
- Weight: 416 kg
- Speed: 0.9 mach
- Range: >275 km
- Accuracy (CEP): less than 1 m
- Warhead: 120 kg blast fragmentation
- Guidance: GPS, INS, IIR (TERCOM)
