The Norwegian company Kongsberg has opened a plant for the production of Joint Strike Missile (JSM) and Naval Strike Missile (NSM).

This was reported on the company’s official website.

The new plant is located in Kongsberg, Norway, where the company will produce JSM and NSM through a large package of export orders.

The new missile factory was officially opened by Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth at a ceremony, together with State Secretary Anne Marie Aanerud of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and representatives from the NSM and JSM user nations.

“The interest in NSM and JSM has grown over the past decade and is now the leading fifth-generation strike missile in 13 countries, including Norway, NATO countries, and other close allies,” Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, shared.

The process of constructing the new plant started in 2021 in response to a steady increase in orders for KONGSBERG’s strike missiles. This is primarily due to the fact that the JSM missile is the main anti-ship missile of F-35 fighters, which is becoming increasingly common worldwide.

In addition, a large number of countries, including the United States, are also purchasing the shipboard version of the NSM, as it is the only modern anti-ship missile capable of fighting surface ships with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons.

“Our new missile production facility directly addresses the strong and long-term demand for our unique technology and the critical need to strengthen collective defense capabilities. When we decided to invest in a new missile production facility, we already saw significant demand from current and new customers,” said Geir Håøy, CEO of KONGSBERG.

The new missile plant lies in the Arsenalet industrial park in Kongsberg, the company’s production and assembly site, which is being expanded to 90,000 sqm.

Militarnyi previously reported that Norwegian anti-ship missile manufacturer Kongsberg received an order from the US Department of Defense.

The contract signed between the parties should ensure the start of production of JSM (Joint Strike Missile) air-launched anti-ship missiles for the US Air Force, which will be used by F-35 fighter jets. The contract, estimated at about 141 million US dollars, will ensure the production and delivery of the first batch of JSM missiles to the United States.

In addition, in early June 2024, the Royal Australian Navy began equipping surface warships with modern NSMs manufactured by Kongsberg.