An artist’s impression of a JSM just after launch from the internal weapons bay of an F-35A Lightning II. Germany has now placed its second order for the missile, to give its future F-35A fleet with a deep strike and anti-shipping capability. (Kongsberg)
Germany has ordered additional Kongsberg Joint Strike Missiles (JSMs) to equip its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) combat aircraft.
The Norwegian manufacturer announced on 18 May 2026 that Germany had placed an NOK3.5 billion (USD380 million) follow on order for an undisclosed number of missiles. This came 10 months after its initial NOK6.5 billion order in July 2025, also for an undisclosed number of missiles.
“The contract is structured as a government sale between Norway and Germany, with Norway’s Defence Material Agency (NDMA) acting as contract partner. Germany was the fifth country to select the JSM alongside existing customers Norway, Japan, Australia and the US,” Kongsberg said.
The announcement did not disclose a delivery timeline.
The Luftwaffe is scheduled to receive the first of 35 F-35As in the United States later in 2026, with the type arriving in Germany by 2027.
The JSM is a Norwegian-developed, precision‐guided stand‐off missile, optimised for use by aircraft against both naval and land targets. The low-observable weapon provides combat aircraft with an anti‐ship attack capability by using imaging infrared (IIR) guidance and a 120 kg impact or time delay warhead.
Designed for internal and external carriage aboard the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A and the carrier variant (CV) F-35C, the JSM has an estimated speed of Mach 0.9 and a range in excess of 275 km. The JSM is too large for the internal weapons bays of the short take-off and vertical landing [STOVL] F-35B.
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