F-35 missile development continues

KONGSBERG, Norway, July 5 (UPI) -- The Kongsberg Group of Norway will continue Phase II development of the Joint Strike Missile under a Norwegian government contract.

The JSM is a new missile designed to be carried internally by an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and could be integrated on other aircraft.

The JSM development started in 2008. A development contract worth $31 million was signed in 2009.

The Norwegian Parliament voted last month in favor of starting JSM Phase II now and the acquisition of four F-35s in 2016.

"Kongsberg has subcontracted a number of Norwegian companies to participate in the development and to qualify them for the future development and production phases," said Kongsberg Defense Systems President Harald Annestad.

"In a future situation with full-scale production, the JSM program will engage more than 450 employees at Kongsberg and could generate significant work for more than 100 Norwegian subcontractors for decades."

The contract from the Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization is worth $101.4 million and runs to 2013.