Kongsberg clinches US$93m Australian Joint Strike Missile deal
KONGSBERG Defence & Aerospace has signed an initial contract valued at approximately US$ 93 million with the Commonwealth of Australia to deliver the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35A aircraft. 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.
President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Eirik Lie said, “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 both 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.”
In late August, the Australian Government announced a decision to invest in the construction of a new factory for the manufacture and service of Kongsberg Joint and Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) in Newcastle, Australia. Both systems would enter service with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), as the NSM will enhance the maritime and land strike capabilities of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hobart class destroyers and Anzac class frigates, and will replace the Harpoon anti-ship missile, supporting the increased lethality of the enhanced surface combatant fleet. HMAS Sydney test-fired a NSM in July 2024 during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
The 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 fulfill 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).-shp/adj/dl (Pix:KONGSBERG)
