Germany boosts F-35 fighter jet strike capability with acquisition of Norwegian stealth JSM missiles.

According to information published by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace on June 5, 2025, the German government has officially selected the Norwegian Joint Strike Missile (JSM) to equip its fleet of F-35 stealth multirole combat aircraft. This government-to-government agreement, approved by the Bundestag on June 4, is valued at approximately NOK 6.5 billion (USD 600 million) and marks a major advancement in transatlantic precision strike capability, with Germany becoming the fifth nation to integrate the JSM onto the F-35 platform, following Norway, Japan, Australia, and the United States.
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Lockheed Martin F-35 Full Scale Mock-up for the German Air Force at ILA Berlin Air Show 2024. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The JSM (Joint Strike Missile) is a fifth-generation, subsonic, air-launched cruise missile developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace in partnership with Raytheon, derived from the combat-proven Naval Strike Missile (NSM). Unlike legacy air-to-surface systems, the JSM was specifically designed for internal carriage in the F-35A and F-35C variants, allowing it to preserve the fighter's stealth profile while penetrating sophisticated enemy air defense networks. It weighs approximately 400 kg, carries a 120 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead, and boasts a range exceeding 500 km, enabling engagements far beyond the reach of most surface-to-air threats.

Equipped with a suite of advanced navigation and guidance systems, including GPS-aided inertial navigation, terrain contour matching (TERCOM), and a passive imaging infrared (IIR) seeker with autonomous target recognition, the JSM can detect, classify, and engage both land and naval targets with pinpoint accuracy. Its flight profile includes terrain-hugging or sea-skimming approaches, allowing it to remain below radar coverage until the terminal phase of its trajectory, when it can execute evasive maneuvers to evade interception.

Operationally, the integration of the JSM transforms the German Air Force’s F-35 fleet into a formidable deep-strike force. The missile empowers the aircraft to destroy heavily defended command posts, long-range air defense systems such as S-400 batteries, mobile radar arrays, surface ships, and other strategic targets while maintaining a stand-off distance. With the JSM carried internally in a stealth configuration or externally in lower-threat environments, German F-35s gain flexibility to adapt mission profiles across both high-end peer conflict scenarios and precision strike missions in joint operations.

From a doctrinal standpoint, the JSM reinforces Germany’s ability to conduct “first-day-of-war” operations, supporting suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD), disrupting adversary C4ISR infrastructure, and delivering kinetic effects at operational depths previously inaccessible without exposing aircrews to high risk. Combined with the F-35’s superior situational awareness, data fusion, and low observability, the JSM becomes a force multiplier in NATO’s integrated deterrence strategy.

Strategically, the procurement strengthens European defense industrial collaboration under the existing Norwegian-German Naval Defence Material Cooperation and reflects a wider trend among F-35 operators seeking to integrate sovereign or alliance-compatible strike options. The JSM missile not only provides enhanced lethality but ensures that Germany’s strike capability remains interoperable with core NATO allies, aligned with evolving alliance requirements for long-range, precision-guided munitions. As negotiations progress toward final contract signing by mid-2025, this acquisition signals a clear commitment by Berlin to strengthen its forward-deployed air combat capabilities with one of the most advanced air-to-surface weapons currently available.