Our business area Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (‘KONGSBERG’) has signed a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia to deliver the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for the F-35A aircraft. The initial contract is worth about NOK 1 billion.
The specific JSM capabilities enhance the advanced F-35A aircraft, creating a formidable capability against land and sea targets, and boosting Australia’s ability to strike targets from long-range.
“We are pleased that Australia has joined Norway, Japan and the US in selecting the JSM. This is yet another contract that underlines the relevance of JSM in the Pacific region. Australia’s participation will benefit the program and the other user nations through competence and resources. Finally, the introduction of JSM is another important milestone in our cooperation with Australian authorities to maintain and ultimately produce missiles in Australia,” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
Last week, the Australian Government announced a decision to invest in constructing a new factory for KONGSBERG strike missiles in Newcastle, Australia.
About Joint Strike Missile (JSM)
The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) has been specifically designed for internal carriage on the F-35 aircraft and provides a significant long-range maritime strike and land attack capability. JSM is an air-launched strike missile and is designed to fulfil complex missions, such as Anti-surface Warfare (ASuW) and land attack. The primary targets are typically movable highly defended and high-value assets on sea, in coastal waters or on land. JSM has advanced off-board, on-board and in-flight mission planning capability and can engage targets based on a pre-defined set of rules of engagement. Development of the JSM was contracted by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA).