Kongsberg Lands $100M US Air Force Contract for Additional Joint Strike Missiles 

Kongsberg has signed a contract valued at approximately $100 million to supply additional Joint Strike Missiles (JSMs) to the US Air Force, with deliveries scheduled for completion by the end of June 2030.

The award follows a $240.9-million firm-fixed-price contract awarded in December for the second JSM production lot, with work scheduled for completion by November 30, 2028.

Before that, the service ordered the first production lot in May 2024 under a $141-million contract, followed by a $69.5-million order in January 2025, with deliveries expected to begin in 2026.

Although the latest contract does not disclose the number of missiles to be procured, the US Air Force said in 2023 that it planned to acquire 268 JSMs over the following five years.

It comes as the US Department of Defense plans to expand production of key munitions following the conflict with Iran.

Joint Strike Missile

Designed for air-launched strikes against land and maritime targets, the JSM is a long-range, precision-guided cruise missile.

Derived from Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile, it was adapted for integration with modern fighter aircraft, particularly the F-35 Lightning II. 

Specifically engineered to fit inside the F-35’s internal weapons bay, the 13-foot (4-meter) missile preserves the aircraft’s low-observable (stealth) characteristics.

Weighing approximately 917 pounds (416 kilograms) and carrying a 260-pound (118-kilogram) warhead, it has a range of up to 217 miles (350 kilometers) and flies at high subsonic speeds.

An inertial navigation system, terrain-reference navigation, an imaging infrared seeker, and a two-way data link enable the missile to operate effectively in GPS-denied environments.

It is in service with, or on order for, Norway, Japan, Australia, the US, Germany, and Canada.