USAF has become the third JSM customer behind Japan and Norway.
The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multirole version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the F-35 for anti-ship and land-attack missions.
The US Air Force has ordered JSMs from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace under a US$141 million under a Definitized Contract Action (UCA) announced on 3 June.
The missile, a joint development by Raytheon and Kongsberg, has been designed for internal carriage on Lockheed Martin F-35A multirole aircraft.
Japan and Norway have already signed contracts for JSMs and full-operational capability is expected in 2025 with integration onto the latter’s F-35s. Missile deliveries for USAF will be expected to start in 2026.