Norway has become the second country to order the KONGSBERG Joint Strike Missile (JSM) for employment from its Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters.

The order comes after a successful partnership between KONGSBERG, the Norwegian Armed Forces, and Norwegian Defence Research Establishment in the definition, development, and test of the JSM.

“The Joint Strike Missile, as part of the Norwegian F-35 fighter jet, enables the Norwegian Air Force to operate within the challenging and complex environment ensuring the defence of vital national interests,” President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Eirik Lie said in a release.

“The development of the missile has been ongoing since 2008, and with this contract, completes development and test and enters a full rate production phase,” he added. “This program secures employment and business for KONGSBERG and our extensive supply chain partners for years to come.”

Based on the surface-launched Naval Strike Missile (NSM), the JSM has been designed to be employed from the internal weapons bay of the F-35A and F-35C for the maritime strike role. Japan has also ordered the JSM for its F-35A force.

The Australian government has provided funding to KONGSBERG since April 2017 to integrate the RF sensor to the JSM, and to BAE Systems Australia since 2013 for the development of the RF sensor under the Priority Industry Capability Fund.