Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has been awarded a US$141 million (~$212 million) contract by the US Air Force (USAF) to provide the service with an initial lot of the Kongsberg-Raytheon Joint Strike Missile (JSM).
The contract, which covers work through the end of August 2026, is for an undisclosed number of all up JSM rounds, containers, and test equipment for the missile. According to a 2023 contracting notice released by the USAF, the service intends to buy 48 JSMs this fiscal year, 50 in fiscal year 2025, and 54 in fiscal year 2026.
This contract likely includes some or all of the planned procurements over that time period.
BAE Systems Australia is a key supplier on the JSM as it provides a passive radio frequency sensor to all up rounds. Australia and Norway have collaborated to develop the sensor since 2015, though the effort actually goes back to 2013, when Defence awarded BAE Systems Australia a contract to begin development.
Despite this investment by Australia in developing the capability, Australia is still yet to order the missile, with the recently released 2024 Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) simply stating that "Defence is also investigating the integration of the Joint Strike Missile for the F‑35A."
The JSM is seen as key for providing Australia's F-35A fleet with a genuine maritime strike capability, as the type currently doesn't carry any kind of long-range precision-guided munition, with only Australia's F/A-18F Super Hornets and P-8A Poseidons having a long-range anti-ship missile capability.
“The selection of JSMs by both the USAF and Royal Norwegian Air Force also fully supports NATO’s vision for interchangeability of equipment between allied nations” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
In a statement, the company said that deliveries will begin in 2026.