Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace announced on 5 September that it has signed a contract with the Australian government to deliver the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) F-35A aircraft. The initial contract is worth about NOK 1 billion (A$142 million).
According to the company, the JSM is an air-launched precision weapon that has been specifically designed for internal carriage on the F-35 aircraft, enabling long-range maritime strike and land attack against high-value mobile and defended threats.
Originally developed for the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), the JSM features advanced off-board, on-board and in-flight mission planning capability and can engage targets based on a pre-defined set of engagement rules, the company added.
“We are pleased that Australia has joined Norway, Japan and the US in selecting the JSM,” said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. “This is yet another contract that underlines the relevance of JSM in the pacific region.”
“Australia’s participation will benefit the program and the other user nations through both competence and resources,” added Lie, noting that the JSM deal is a key milestone in the company’s earlier agreement to maintain and subsequently manufacture missiles within the country.
The Australian government earlier announced that it will jointly invest in a new production facility to maintain and produce Kongsberg strike missiles in Newcastle. The company already operates an internally funded facility in Adelaide.
Besides the JSM, the proposed facility will also support other acquisition and sustainment programs including Naval Strike Missile (NSM) for the Royal Australian Navy as well as Australian Army programmes such as the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS), CORTEX C4, and Protector Remote Weapon Stations
Kongsberg Defence Australia is one the designated Strategic Partners in Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise. The GWEO Enterprise is backed by a commitment up to A$21 billion over the coming decade through the country’s 2024 Integrated Investment Program.
by Jr Ng