Norwegian company Kongsberg has entered a fourth follow-on contract with Japan to supply the joint strike missile (JSM) for the country’s fleet of F-35A fighter aircraft.
The JSM is a 5th-generation stealth air-to-surface missile developed to fill F-35A anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and land attack capability gaps.
According to the firm, JSM can be carried internally in the F-35A to ensure the aircraft’s agility, range and low-signature capabilities.
“The fifth order for the Joint Strike Missile underlines the important role of the JSM in Japan’s national defence strategy and is another example of the close and growing relationship between Norway, Japan and KONGSBERG,” said Eirik Lie , President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Japan first ordered the JSM in 2018 and has since placed several follow-on contracts with Kongsberg. The JSM user community now includes Norway, Japan, Australia and the US Air Force.
To remind, Kongsberg recently signed a contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) for the initial development phase of the new German-Norwegian missile system supersonic strike missile (3SM).