Saifullah Sani
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An artist's impression of Kongsberg's air-launched Joint Strike Missile (JSM) being fired from a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Source: Norwegian Ministry of Defence
Key Points
The JSM weapon system, under development by Norwegian defence and aerospace company Kongsberg, was conceived as a precision-strike munition for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), and is designed for the weapons bay of the aircraft's F-35A and F-35C variants.
IHS Jane's reported in July 2014 that Australia was considering greater engagement in the programme. At that time, an Australian Department of Defence (DoD) spokesman - noting previous involvement of Australian industry in the programme - said that discussions between Australia and Norway on expanding collaboration were focusing on the missile's integration onto the F-35.
Andrews described Australia's participation as aiming to ensure the weapon's availability for the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) future fleet of F-35A JSFs.
"Participating now in a co-operative JSM development programme with Norway will maximise the cost-effectiveness of Australia's contribution and ensure the weapon capability is developed and integrated onto the F-35A in the timeline required by Australia, should the JSM be ultimately considered for acquisition by [the Australian government] later this decade," said Andrews.
The minister added that, within the collaboration, Australia will provide specialist expertise in missile guidance and control technology.
In a separate statement, Kongsberg said that the co-operation activity will involve "several Australian defence industry partners, including BAE Systems Australia and QinetiQ Australia, to develop [additional capabilities for] JSM, including a second independent sensor within the missile to identify hostile radar targets". It added that these new capacities "will be highly relevant for both Australia and the other partner nations of the F-35 programme".
Kongsberg has been working with BAE Systems Australia for some time on the development of a passive radio-frequency sensor for JSM. This has included the build of an engineering development model.
Against an initial plan for a fleet of 100, Australia has committed to procuring 72 F-35As. The first two were delivered in 2014 and are currently based at the F-35 international pilot training centre at Luke Air Force Base Arizona to support the RAAF's training needs.
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is expected to operate as many as 52 F-35As and to field JSM by the middle of the next decade.
Australia confirms participation in Norway's Joint Strike Missile programme - IHS Jane's 360
Key Points
- Australia is to co-operate with Norway on the Joint Strike Missile
- Australia's participation is aimed at ensuring the weapon's availability, if required, for the Royal Australian Air Force's future JSF fleet
The JSM weapon system, under development by Norwegian defence and aerospace company Kongsberg, was conceived as a precision-strike munition for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), and is designed for the weapons bay of the aircraft's F-35A and F-35C variants.
IHS Jane's reported in July 2014 that Australia was considering greater engagement in the programme. At that time, an Australian Department of Defence (DoD) spokesman - noting previous involvement of Australian industry in the programme - said that discussions between Australia and Norway on expanding collaboration were focusing on the missile's integration onto the F-35.
Andrews described Australia's participation as aiming to ensure the weapon's availability for the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) future fleet of F-35A JSFs.
"Participating now in a co-operative JSM development programme with Norway will maximise the cost-effectiveness of Australia's contribution and ensure the weapon capability is developed and integrated onto the F-35A in the timeline required by Australia, should the JSM be ultimately considered for acquisition by [the Australian government] later this decade," said Andrews.
The minister added that, within the collaboration, Australia will provide specialist expertise in missile guidance and control technology.
In a separate statement, Kongsberg said that the co-operation activity will involve "several Australian defence industry partners, including BAE Systems Australia and QinetiQ Australia, to develop [additional capabilities for] JSM, including a second independent sensor within the missile to identify hostile radar targets". It added that these new capacities "will be highly relevant for both Australia and the other partner nations of the F-35 programme".
Kongsberg has been working with BAE Systems Australia for some time on the development of a passive radio-frequency sensor for JSM. This has included the build of an engineering development model.
Against an initial plan for a fleet of 100, Australia has committed to procuring 72 F-35As. The first two were delivered in 2014 and are currently based at the F-35 international pilot training centre at Luke Air Force Base Arizona to support the RAAF's training needs.
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is expected to operate as many as 52 F-35As and to field JSM by the middle of the next decade.
Australia confirms participation in Norway's Joint Strike Missile programme - IHS Jane's 360
