In December 2025, the United States Air Force (USAF) awarded a $240.9 million contract to the Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The contract is for the production of a Joint Strike Missile (JSM). The contract will cover Lot 2 following the completion of Lot 1, which was ordered in May 2024. The new missiles are expected to reach the flightline beginning in 2028.

The JSM will be a compact and long-range cruise missile designed to be carried by stealth fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (also called the Joint Strike Fighter or JSF) and potentially others, including the LM F-22 Raptor, or forthcoming Boeing F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter that is now in development.

The JSM is expected to have a range exceeding 150 nautical miles (277 kilometers) while the limited public data from Kongsberg indicates it may reach as far as 350 kilometers. The technology leverages advanced terrain-following technology to evade detection and hit high-value targets on land as well as maritime vessels at sea.

The JSM’s passive sensors make it highly resistant to radio-frequency jamming, increasing its survivability against modern air defenses. It reportedly utilizes a multi-mode navigation system including GPS, inertial navigation, and an infrared imaging (IIR) seeker for automatic target recognition in contested environments.

The procurement of JSM in 2026 aligns the USAF with global partners, including not only Norway but also Japan and Australia, creating a standardized, stealthy strike capability across allied F-35 fleets. Germany and Belgium are also expected to procure the missile for their fleets of F-35 stealth fighters in the coming years as well.

A 5th-Gen Arsenal For The F-35

Before the procurement of the JSM, the USAF relied on several key standoff and anti-ship systems. However, none possessed the specific combination of stealth, internal carriage, and multi-mission capability required for the F-35 in 2026. The munitions that the JSM will directly replace are the AGM-84 Harpoon and the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).

The AGM-84 Harpoon has been the primary air-launched anti-ship missile for decades. It is a 1970s-era design that is neither stealthy nor compatible with the F-35’s internal weapons bay. The JSM effectively renders the Harpoon obsolete and fulfills its purpose for the F-35A, offering a modern low-observable alternative that maintains the jet’s stealth profile during a strike.

The AGM-158 JASSM and its maritime variant, the AGM-158C LRASM, are the heavier standoff weapons currently in the USAF arsenal. While the JASSM and LRASM have longer ranges (over 500 miles), they are significantly larger and heavier (around 2,500 pounds) than the JSM (roughly 900 pounds). Due to their size, the JASSM and LRASM must be carried externally on the F-35, which compromises the aircraft’s stealth capabilities.

Prior to the full integration of modern stealth cruise missiles, the USAF utilized the AGM-142 Have Nap, a large, Israeli-designed standoff missile primarily carried by the B-52. It was withdrawn from the USAF arsenal around 2004, leaving a gap for tactical fighters until the JASSM was introduced. The JSM will give the F-35 the same capability without sacrificing its primary advantage and maximize its battlefield performance.

The Air Force Of The Future

JSM is a critical enabler that transforms the F-35 from a traditional multi-role fighter into the central « tactical hub » of a high-low fleet. As 5th-Gen fighters replace 4th-Gen jets, preserving low observability (stealth) becomes the primary mission requirement. The concept of « Double Stealth,” stealth aircraft plus a stealth missile, is specifically designed to counter the sophisticated air defenses of near-peer adversaries in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters.

In the « high-low » fleet model, the F-35 serves as the « Quarterback of the Sky, » sitting between the high-end F-47 NGAD and 4.5-Gen « missile trucks. » As 4th-gen fighters are phased out, 4.5-gen variants act as the heavy-payload workhorses, providing the « mass » required to win prolonged conflicts once the F-35 with JSMs has degraded enemy defenses.

The USAF’s 2026 strategy prioritizes a three-tier model where the Boeing F-47, which will be the first 6th-Gen fighter ever made, leads deep-penetration missions. The F-47 is expected to manage swarms of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) or « Loyal Wingman » drones in addition to its own unmatched capabilities.

The F-35 provides a persistent, networked presence. The JSM’s ability to engage both maritime and land targets with passive imaging infrared (IIR) seekers makes it the F-35’s primary tool for neutralizing high-value threats (radars, command centers) that would otherwise pin down the rest of the fleet.

As 4th-gen fighters are phased out, 4.5-gen variants act as heavy-payload workhorses, providing the « mass » required to win prolonged conflicts once the F-35/JSM combination has degraded enemy defenses. This is the evolution of the “Wild Weasel” mission first pioneered by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom (3rd-Gen) and refined by the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon (4th-Gen). The F-35 will take this to a level never before possible by completely defeating the sensor systems of enemy air defenses to open a path over the battlefield for Allied Air Forces.

The F-35A Lightning II By The Numbers

Unlike legacy missiles (such as the Harpoon) that must be carried externally, the JSM is the only long-range strike missile sized to fit inside the F-35A’s internal weapons bay. This allows the F-35 to maintain its « clean » stealth profile while carrying a high-precision, stand-off weapon, enabling it to penetrate advanced Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) zones that would be lethal to older aircraft.

For decades, the AGM-65 Maverick was the standard air-to-ground tactical missile for the USAF. The Maverick is a short-range « point-and-shoot » weapon. In 2026, it is being supplemented or replaced by the JSM for missions requiring standoff range and more sophisticated autonomous targeting.

The F-35A’s AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare system can passively detect and geo-locate enemy radars with extreme precision. It then feeds this data directly to the JSM, enabling a rapid « sensor-to-shooter » cycle that legacy 4th-Gen fighters like F-16s cannot match.

The JSM is a critical part of the transition of the Wild Weasel role from the F-16 to the F-35A. It is expected to work alongside the AGM-88G AARGM-ER and the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) to fulfill this mission. The JSM can identify a specific radar vehicle even if it stops emitting signals, allowing for a « Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses » (DEAD) mission rather than just suppression.

Unlike the legacy AGM-88, which can lose its target if the enemy shuts off the radar, the JSM uses an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker and Autonomous Target Recognition. The F-35A can approach much closer to advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites than an F-16 ever could. Together, these weapons allow the F-35A to act as a versatile predator, dismantling Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) for the rest of the fleet.

Kongsberg At A Glance

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is a Norwegian multinational technology group with a history spanning over 200 years. Founded in 1814 as Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (Kongsberg Weapons Factory), the company has evolved from a small rifle manufacturer into a global leader in high-technology systems for the defense, maritime, and aerospace sectors. The qualification of the JSM is funded by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) and already well underway.

The JSM is directly derived from the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). While the JSM is an air-launched cruise missile specifically redesigned to fit inside the F-35’s internal weapons bay, its core technology is rooted in the proven NSM platform. The NSM was the successor to the Penguin missile, which was developed in the 1960s as Norway’s first domestically produced anti-ship missile and the first in the West to feature a passive infrared (IR) homing seeker.

Kongsberg is Norway’s leading defense-industrial technology enterprise. As of 2026, the company operates in over 25 countries and is a primary supplier to major defense forces, including the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Beyond missiles, Kongsberg is famous for NASAMS, a widely used medium-range air defense system co-developed with Raytheon.

The Global Fleet Grows Stronger Together

Germany officially joined the « JSM family » in June 2025, becoming the fifth nation to procure the missile for its F-35As. The missiles will equip Germany’s fleet of 35 F-35As, the first of which are scheduled for delivery in the U.S. in 2026 for training before arriving in Germany in 2027. Germany will use the JSM as its primary conventional long-range strike weapon, complementing the F-35’s specialized role as a nuclear weapons carrier for NATO.

Air Force Technology recounted this statement by Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik following the finalization of the JSM deal for the Luftwaffe’s new F-35s:

“Germany is a highly important European partner in defense materiel cooperation, and a major and valued ally in NATO. Our already close collaboration on missile systems becomes even more significant as both German and Norwegian F-35 fighter jets will be equipped with Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile.”

Belgium’s decision to procure the JSM was solidified in July 2025. It represents Belgium’s first-ever investment in cruise missile capabilities, transforming its air force from a primarily defensive unit into a force capable of stealthy, long-range offensive operations. Alongside the missile order, Belgium confirmed in July 2025 that it would expand its F-35A order by 11 additional aircraft, bringing its total fleet to 45.