Germany purchases JSM missiles for its F-35A

Germany plans to purchase the latest Joint Strike Missile (JSM) missiles from Norway for 6.5 billion Norwegian kroner.

The Norwegian Ministry of Defense announced this.

With these missiles, the Bundeswehr intends to arm F-35A fighter jets, soon joining the country’s fleet.

“Germany is an extremely important European partner in defense materials cooperation, as well as an important and valuable ally in NATO. Our already close cooperation on missile systems becomes even more significant as German and Norwegian F-35 fighter jets will be equipped with the joint Kongsberg strike missile”, Defense Minister Thor O. Sandvik said.

The German Bundestag approved the intergovernmental agreement on purchasing the JSM in Germany on June 4.

Following the completion of the political review, the contract is expected to be signed during the first half of the year.

Joint Strike Missile

The Norwegian company Kongsberg developed the JSM missile as part of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.

It was chosen as the primary anti-ship weapon for F-35A/B/C fighter jets, as well as a complement to LRASM missiles for F/A-18 Super Hornet deck-based fighters.

Like its NSM naval variant, the JSM missile is capable of engaging both surface and ground targets, making it a versatile weapon.

The maximum range of the JSM is up to 555 km in a high-altitude, high-low profile and up to 185 km in a low-altitude, low-altitude profile.

The warhead weighs 120 kg, and the total weight of the missile is 416 kg. It is 4 meters long and 480 mm in diameter.

Such dimensions allow the missile to be placed in the internal compartments of F-35 fighter jets, in addition to the possibility of its installation on external suspensions.

German contract for F-35A

Recently, it was reported that the German government will not refuse to purchase F-35A fighters due to the lack of modern alternatives for the role of a nuclear weapons carrier.

Currently, there are no direct alternatives to the American F-35 fighter jet.

Most of the proposals produced in Europe are fourth-generation aircraft with significantly limited functionality.

In addition, only one European aircraft can be used as a carrier of B61 nuclear bombs – the Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber, which Germany plans to completely retire by 2030 and replace with F-35As certified to use nuclear warheads of this type.

Militarnyi previously reported that on December 6, 2024, the United States launched the construction of the first fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II fighter jet for the German Air Force.

The first F-35A multirole fighter for Germany received the serial number MG-01.