The U.S. Air Force has announced that it has signed a $98.4 million contract with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to procure additional Joint Strike Missile (JSM) missiles.
Within the scope of production activities, work on the Joint Strike Missile is scheduled for completion by 2030.
The contract covers the continuation of the 3rd production lot, designated by the U.S. Air Force as “Lot Three B.”
Classified as the AGM-184A in the U.S. inventory, the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) has been developed to be carried in the internal weapons bays of the F-35 fighter jet, in accordance with the aircraft’s stealth concept.
Developed by Kongsberg and based on the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) design, the Joint Strike Missile is designed to be compatible with the F-35 fighter’s internal weapons stations.
The missile, which is approximately 4 meters long and has a total weight of 407 kilograms, carries a 118-kilogram warhead.
After launch, the missile is capable of reaching ranges of over 350 kilometers at high subsonic speeds.
Utilizing a GPS-aided inertial navigation system during the initial phase of flight, the munition activates its Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker when approaching the target area to perform precise target identification and engagement during the terminal phase…