The Norwegians and the Americans conducted the first launch of the latest anti-ship missile JSM from the fifth-generation fighter F-35.
The Norwegian Defense Procurement Agency (FMA, or Forsvarsmateriell) successfully launched a Joint Strike Missile (JSM) from an F-35A AF-1 test aircraft in February. The tests took place over a desert area near Edwards Air Force Base. The launch was part of a program to integrate the JSM into the arsenal of the fifth-generation fighter. It is carried out with the participation of the F-35 Joint Program Office and the US authorities.
The program started in 2020: the munition has already passed ground tests. The launch in February was the first to be carried out in the sky. "With this first reset, we checked whether the JSM is safely separated from the F-35A. For this test, we used an aircraft with measuring instruments, " said Jarle Nergard, a representative of the FMA.
F-35A with JSM
Image source: FMA
JSM is being developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA). It is a variant of the Naval Strike Missile, a sea-and land-based anti-ship missile.
In the internal compartments of the F-35, two Joint Strike Missiles can be placed: thanks to the internal suspension, the aircraft remains unobtrusive. The missile itself was also created using low-visibility technology, which makes the complex especially dangerous.
F-35A with JSM
Image source: FMA
The rocket has a high subsonic speed and altitude at wave level. For protection on the final flight section, it performs defensive maneuvers. It is assumed that the JSM will be able to effectively hit a wide range of ground and surface targets.
Norway is among the most active participants in the F-35 program: as of 2021, the country has received 28 F-35A fighters. Last year, as part of the "basic course of Allied F-35s" program at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, seven F-35A aircraft, flight-lifting and ground personnel of the Norwegian Air Force, together with colleagues from other countries, began to practice flights in the so-called beast mode. With it, the aircraft sacrifices low visibility in favor of a larger combat load placed on the external holders. The application of such a regime, in particular, was reported in 2019.
It is noteworthy that, despite the progress of the F-35 program, the United States is actively talking about resuming production of the previous, fourth-generation fighters. These machines are most often considered as an addition to the F-35. Recently, experts presented their vision of what a hypothetical replacement for the decommissioned F-16s might look like.
