February
6, 2007: American and Norwegian firms have jointly developed a "Joint Strike
Missile" (JSM) designed to be launched from the internal bomb bay of the F-35
fighter. The half ton weapon, with a 250 kilometer range, was initially
developed by the Norwegian firm Kongsberg, as the " Naval Strike
Missile". Adapting this weapon for air launch attracted the attention of
U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, and the U.S. Department of Defense. The JSM has GPS
and inertial guidance, as well as an infrared target recognition system,
enabling it to hit moving targets, like ships. The JSM thus becomes a very
useful weapon for nations adopting the F-35. The JSM is also superior to the
heavier Harpoon, which has become a standard anti-ship missile in many navies.
The JSM has other competition, like the Harpoon variant, SLAM-ER, but at the
moment no one weapon has a lock on future anti-ship missiles.
