Japan Acquires Joint Strike Missiles for F-35 Jets

Japan has placed an order valued 450MNOK ($49.2 million) with Kongsberg for the supply for Joint Strike Missiles (JSMs) for its fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

“Kongsberg has entered into a follow-on contract with Japan to supply the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) for their fleet of F-35 fighter aircraft. The contract is valued 450 MNOK,” the company said in a statement Monday.

The company announced in May 2019 that it won a Tokyo contract for the JSMs. The two parties did not disclose the dollar value or the number of missiles covered by the contract. However, Japanese budget documents show the country allocated 7.3 billion yen ($65.6 million) for the missile acquisition for the coming Japanese fiscal year, which begins March 31, reports Defense News.

The JSM is a long-range sea- and land- target missile that can be carried internally in the F-35 and thus ensuring the aircraft’s low-signature (stealth) capabilities. It is based on Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (anti-ship). The missile has a range of 280km and can carry a warhead of 230kg.

The JSM is slated for integration on the F-35A during the Block 4 software release expected in the early 2020s. Earlier checks confirmed that two JSMs can fit in the internal weapons bay of the F-35A, although the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B can only carry the missile on its external weapons stations.