Germany expands Joint Strike Missile order for F‑35 fleet

Germany has doubled its purchase of Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) from Norway’s Kongsberg, signing a follow‑on contract worth about NOK 3.5 billion (€325 million). The new deal adds to an earlier NOK 6.5 billion order placed in June 2025, making Germany the fifth nation – after Norway, Japan, Australia and the United States – to field the internally‑carried JSM for its F‑35A and F‑35C fighters.

The missiles are designed for internal carriage in the F‑35 and will be certified alongside the aircraft’s Block 4 software update. The order supports Germany’s acquisition of 35 F‑35A Lightning II jets through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales programme, intended to replace part of the aging Panavia Tornado IDS strike fleet. The first German F‑35As are expected to arrive later this year, initially operating from Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith before moving to the Büchel base in Germany.

The contract, a direct government‑to‑government sale overseen by Norway’s Defence Material Agency, is part of a broader strategic defence partnership between Oslo and Berlin cemented by the Hansa Agreement signed earlier this year.