Computer generated image of an F-35 firing two air-to-ground Joint Strike Missiles. Credit: Kongsberg.

Norway marked the delivery of its first Joint Strike Missile (JSM) from the lead manufacturer and domestic supplier, Kongsberg, on 28 April 2025.

Tore Sandvik, the Minister for Defence, hailed the weapon as a “super missile” during a ceremony in Ørland, where the Royal Norwegian Air Force will begin to stockpile the missiles at the Air Base there.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

JSM is a long-range, precision-guided, stand-off cruise missile. It was developed as an alternative variant to Kongsberg’s anti-ship and land-attack Naval Strike Missile (NSM). However, the main difference is that JSM is an air-to-ground system that can target land and maritime threats.

The weapon includes an infrared seeker to detect threats on its own, ability to fly low under the radar, and a navigation system that supports course changes in flight to avoid the enemy.

“It is the first weapon that allows smaller nations like Norway to credibly threaten heavily protected targets on land and at sea,” Sandvik stated. This is due to the stand-off range of more than 150 miles, which keep pilots out of harm’s way, coupled with the low signature of the F-35 aircraft.

JSM is designed to fit in all relevant weapons stations, including the internal weapons bay, of the F-35 multirole aircraft. Credit: Raytheon, and RTX subsidiary.

Kongsberg designed JSM to integrate with any of its ten weapon stations, from the underwing pylons to the internal bay. In the same breath, Sandvik also marked the delivery of all 52 F-35A fighters that the Nordic nation had originally ordered from Lockheed Martin.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

The original equipment manufacturer began developing JSM in 2004. Ten years later, the Norwegian defence company began to work with the American prime, Raytheon, an RTX business, to supply the US military with JSMs. It was nearly a year ago that the US Department of Defense issued a contract for all up rounds, containers and test equipment.

However, Raytheon’s partnership with Kongsberg goes back 50-years, and includes joint work on the NASAMS air defence system as well as the NSM.

Australia prepare for JSM and NSM

According to an Australian Defence Forces statement on 28 March, the Commonwealth nation will build its first guided weapons production factory in Newcastle, New South Wales, to manufacture and service NSMs and JSMs.

HMAS Sydney fires the Royal Australian Navy’s first Naval Strike Missile during a SINKEX off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii as a part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, 18 July 2024. Credit: ADF.

Missile production at the factory is anticipated to start in 2027. Based on current schedules, the new Australian facility will be the first outside of Norway to build and maintain missile types.

The project reflects ongoing investment outlined in Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan, underpinned by a commitment in the Defence Integrated Investment Programme of  up to A$21bn ($13.4bn) over the next decade.