Norway Launches Phase II Development of JSM Missile

The Norwegian Government has decided to present the continued development phase II of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for the F-35 Lightning II – Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) - for the Parliament (“The Storting”).

For Kongsberg this represents a continuation of the JSM development until 2013, should the Storting approve it. There is consensus between Kongsberg and the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organization (NDLO) for a JSM phase II development contract worth MNOK 535. The contract will engage more than 100 employees at Kongsberg. The JSM development started in 2008. A development contract worth MNOK 166 between Kongsberg and NDLO was signed in 2009.

“The JSM-development contract will contribute to secure Kongsberg and several Norwegian Defence suppliers export related to the fighter program. This confirms that the missile technology developed by the Norwegian Defence, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Kongsberg and its suppliers is competitive internationally and covers the operational requirements for Norway and other F-35 partner nations. JSM will be a technological joint effort that will lift a broader scope of Norwegian industry to a new level,” says President in Kongsberg Defence Systems, Harald Aannestad.

JSM could generate significant work for more than 100 Norwegian subcontractors for decades. Some of the Norwegian SME`s that will be involved in JSM are:

-- ProPartner Defence AS
-- Kitron AS
-- Eidel AS
-- Natech AS
-- Berget AS
-- Kongsberg Devotek AS

In a future situation with full-scale production, the JSM program will engage more than 450 employees at Kongsberg.

The Joint Strike Missile is a new missile designed to fill an identified operational capability gap on the F-35. JSM is a high performance, long range, stand-off missile with land- and anti-ship capabilities. JSM is the only missile under development that can be internally carried on the F-35 meeting the operational requirements. The missile can also be integrated on other platforms. Kongsberg sees a large potential for future deliveries of the JSM to F-35 customers. Based on agreement between US Department of Defense (DoD) and Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD), Kongsberg is invited to participate in a competition in the US Navy in their need for both ship- and aircraft based missiles.

“The JSM-development and the F-35 integration is a confirmation of Kongsberg’s leading position as a supplier of advanced missiles. This will create business opportunities for several decades. Based on the interest we have seen from the other F-35 partner nations, JSM supports Kongsberg’s growth ambitions,” says President and CEO, Walter Qvam.

As part of the JSM development, new capabilities will be developed and tested and made available for upgrades of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). The NSM is in production for Poland and Norway.