On Friday, March 13, 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Defense announced on social media that it had received the first batch of JSM (Joint Strike Missile) anti-ship missiles from the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) for use with Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multirole aircraft.
W składzie japońskiej delegacji w Norwegii był minister obrony Shinjiro Koizumi / Zdjęcia: Ministerstwo Obrony Japonii
On March 6, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft made its first visit to Norway and received JSM missiles manufactured by 🇳🇴 that can be mounted on F-35A aircraft. This follows the visit of Norwegian naval vessels to Japanese ports last year 🇯🇵🇳🇴 and symbolizes the deepening of defense cooperation and exchanges. The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces will continue to work closely with Norway
Japanese Ministry of Defense
Japan’s Ministry of Defense ordered the first trial batch of JSM missiles in March 2019. This was followed by an additional order in November 2019 worth 450 million NOK, and a third batch in December 2020 valued at 820 million NOK. On November 1, 2024, a fourth tranche was ordered for NOK 1.9 billion, followed by a fifth in December 2025 worth 800 million NOK.
The JSM is a fifth-generation anti-ship missile, designed with reduced radar cross-section (stealth) technology to address gaps in the F-35A’s capability for precision engagement of surface targets. It was developed between 2008 and 2018 in cooperation with Raytheon (part of RTX) as an evolution of the Norwegian NSM (Naval Strike Missile), with serial production beginning in 2021.
In addition to Norway as the program’s initiator and Japan, Australia and the United States have also opted to procure the missile. Finland and Italy are expected to join them in the future, while Poland has expressed interest in the system as it seeks an anti-ship missile for its F-35A Husarz aircraft – alongside consideration of the larger AGM-158C LRASM from Lockheed Martin. To meet growing demand for both JSM and NSM missiles, Kongsberg plans to expand production capacity in the United States and Australia.
The JSM missiles were transported to Japan aboard a Boeing KC-767J multirole transport and tanker aircraft
The JSM can be carried in the internal weapons bay of the F-35A without increasing the radar cross-section of its carrier. In the latest Block 4 configuration with the Technical Refresh 3 (TR3) upgrade, the F-35A will also be capable of engaging land targets.
The missile is 3.95 m long and weighs 410 kg. The JSM has previously been integrated with the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18. Its first flight with a U.S. F-16 took place in November 2015, followed by integration with a Norwegian F-16 three years later.
The JSM’s seeker features an autonomous target recognition system based on image matching stored in the onboard computer, combined with an infrared sensor, inertial navigation system (INS), GPS guidance, and a laser altimeter. This allows the operator to program the type of attack, point of impact, and detonation force of the 125 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead depending on the target. Thanks to a two-way data link, the operator can also abort the attack at any point during flight.
As an interesting side note for film enthusiasts, in the movie Captain America: Brave New World, which premiered in Poland on February 14, 2025, there is a scene in which Japanese F-35As use JSM missiles against U.S. Navy ships during a fictional armed confrontation in the Indian Ocean – marking the weapon’s debut on the big screen.
3月6日、航空自衛隊輸送機がノルウェーを初訪問し、F-35Aに搭載可能な🇳🇴製ミサイルJSMを受領しました。
これは、昨年のノルウェー海軍艦艇の日本寄港に続き🇯🇵🇳🇴防衛協力・交流の深化の象徴です。
防衛省・自衛隊は、今後もノルウェーと緊密に連携していきます🇯🇵🤝🇳🇴 https://t.co/QRda8N7gA2 pic.twitter.com/IbkEc4UKVc
— 防衛省・自衛隊 (@ModJapan_jp) March 13, 2026
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