Nöbetçi Eczaneler
Germany will purchase Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) from Norway to equip its F-35 fighter jets. The agreement, worth approximately €677 million, was signed during the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Norwegian counterpart Tore Sandvik.
Following the signing, Pistorius stated:
“This agreement brings to life the joint procurement plans we aim for within Europe and NATO, reducing time, bureaucracy, and costs. Thanks to this joint initiative, we will receive the first cruise missiles before the end of 2027.”
The JSM, developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) in collaboration with NDMA and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), is specifically designed to fit within the internal weapons bay of the F-35 without compromising stealth capabilities. It maintains the jet’s low observability and range.
Weighing 416 kilograms and equipped with advanced sensors, the missile is capable of striking both land and sea targets at a range of approximately 350 kilometers.
As part of Germany’s €100 billion military modernization program, the government had previously ordered 35 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. These new aircraft are expected to replace the aging Tornado jets, which have been in service with the German Air Force since the 1980s and are currently the only German jets capable of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has not only alarmed many European countries but also triggered a major shift in Germany’s security policy. In response to Russia’s aggression, then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that €100 billion would be allocated to modernize and strengthen the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) and that defense spending would be increased.
Additionally, in March, members of the previous Bundestag approved a constitutional amendment allowing the creation of a €500 billion special fund for infrastructure and climate projects, and to exclude future defense spending from the country’s “debt brake” rule.