Home Air Japan orders further JSM missiles for F-35 fighters

Japan orders further JSM missiles for F-35 fighters

JSM deployed by F-35
Photo: Kongsberg

Japan has awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS a second follow-on contract for the delivery of the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) for Japan’s fleet of F-35 fighter aircraft.

According to Kongsberg, the contract is valued at 820 MNOK (approximately $93 million).

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. JSM can be carried internally in the F-35 thus ensuring the aircraft’s low-signature capabilities.

This is the second contract option exercised by Japan since it entered into an initial contract with Kongsberg for the JSM purchase in March 2019. The first option was exercised in November 2019, when Japan awarded Kongsberg US$ 49.6 million for JSM deliveries.

“The international F-35 user community is continuing to show great interest in the JSM and Kongsberg is very proud to have been selected by Japan to provide the JSM for their F-35 fleet. “Our relationship is growing even stronger with this second follow-on contract,” says Eirik Lie, president, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS.

Development of the JSM started in 2008 and was completed in mid-2018 after a series of successful validation test firings.