First Kongsberg Joint Strike Missile (JSM) fitted on the F-35

Development of the new Joint Strike Missile (JSM, the air launched variant of the NSM - Naval Strike Missile) is progressing, and 27 February an important milestone was passed when the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin for the first time fitted one of the missiles to a F-35 at its facility in Ft Worth, Texas.

This formed part of a "fit check" of the JSM on an external pylon on the F-35 and is part of Phase 2 of the development of the JSM missile that was approved by the Norwegian Parliament in 2011.

The fit check confirms that the missile is able to be fitted for external carriage on the F-35, and will be followed later in 2013 by similar tests aimed at verifying that the missile fits within the internal weapons bay of the F-35.

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