By GERARD O’DWYER
HELSINKI — The ambitious private-state partnership behind Kongsberg Defence System’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and Joint Strike Missile (JSM) programs is driven by government support for advanced precision strike weapons that can bolster Norway’s defense sector and deliver exports.
Norway’s Ministry of Defense has assigned priority export support status to the two programs. Effectively, this means that NSM and JSM will receive continued state support to achieve prospective international sales among NATO partner states that are committed to acquiring the F-35.
The effort to develop precision-capable long-range missiles is centered on Kongsberg’s JSM. In May, the government presented a bill in parliament that aims to secure completion of the JSM and prepare it for integration to the F-35.
The bill provides $622 million in state monies to finance the third and final phase in JSM’s development. Phase 3is set to conclude in 2017, while integration of the missile on the F -35 is due to be completed as part of the first round of upgrades on the F-35 from 2022-24.
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