First JSM fuselage unveiled

The first completed fuselage for the new Joint Strike Missile (JSM), developed by Kongsberg for the F-35 has been unveiled.

The JSM is derived from the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), also developed by Kongsberg, which is already operational with the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The new missile, the JSM, offers superior capabilities against well defended naval targets, and is capable of being carried internally on the F-35.

This allows the aircraft to maintain its low observability while carrying a powerful long range strike capability.

The unveiling signals that the fuselage design effort has been completed, and that preparations for further testing can continue.

“We have defined a modern and capable anti-surface capability as a key requirement, and as a result we initiated the development of the JSM,” said State Secretary of Defence Eirik Øwre Thorshaug.

“We have also received indications that several other partner nations are interested in the capability offered by this missile, and we are making every effort to see that it becomes available to the F-35 user community in the future,” Thorshaug added.

Missile development is carried out in partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, and in close cooperation with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

This ensures that the development process is supported by the combined efforts of one of the world’s most advanced missile technology clusters, which has previously generated products such as the Penguin missile, the NASAMS air defence system and the NSM.

“There is a world of difference between an F-35 carrying the JSM and one without it,” Brigadier General Morten Klever with the Norwegian F-35 program said.

“We need the ability to defeat heavily defended high-value targets without having to resort to saturating the target with less capable weapons, an option few can rely on in today’s environment,” Brigadier General Klever concluded.

The JSM development program will undergo a Critical Design Review during the summer of 2013, after which preparations will begin for its final stage of development and full integration on the F-35.