Defence Business: Kongsberg eyes JSM opportunities | ADM Apr 2011
Gregor Ferguson | Sydney
Norwegian defence firm Kongsberg used the Avalon air show to remind ADF planners quietly that they have a candidate to replace the veteran AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile which is due to reach its life of type around the mid-2020s.
Shortly before Christmas 2010, the US Navy began an analysis of alternatives to replace the Harpoon, with a near term requirement for a ship-launched weapon and a longer-term requirement for an air-launched version - and, specifically, a missile sized to fit inside the internal weapons bay of the F-35.
Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile/Naval Strike Missile (JSM/NSM) is a viable contender to arm the F-35, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin, and has a very impressive capability. The process of selecting candidates will unfold over the next two years, says Lockheed Martin vice president Tom Burbage, and a suitable weapon could be introduced as part of the Block 4 or 5 avionics software upgrade.
The general user requirement is increased range over earlier weapons to keep aircraft out of reach of modern ship and and-based air defence systems, with better ECCM, a moving target capability and automatic target recognition using a seeker with a wide field of regard. Kongsberg says the JSM’s passive guidance system and imaging IR seeker is designed to fill this capability gap.
Lockheed Martin has been working with Kongsberg to integrate the air-launched JSM variant with the F-35 internal weapons bay and Kongsberg sources told ADM at Avalon the weapon is optimised for this configuration. It will also be compatible with the Super Hornet while the ship-launched NSM variant will be capable of being launched from the strike-length Mk41 VLS fitted to the RAN’s Anzac frigates and Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers.
The RAAF is one of the F-35 customers keen to adopt a new internally carried anti-ship weapon for the aircraft. However, says Kongsberg, the JSM and NSM also have a land-attack capability which makes them a more versatile, even strategic, asset