The 416th Flight Test Squadron recently wrapped up testing of Norway’s Joint Strike Missile (JSM) on the F-16.
U.S. Air Force photo by Christian Turner
The JSM is designed to be carried in the F-35A’s internal weapons bay. Testing the missile first on the F-16 is a lot more efficient and effective.
“The weapons ranges needed simply don’t exist in Norway. So they were able to come here and utilize the Edwards airspace and ground test facilities for the captive carriage flight and ground testing. The 416th FLTS has a long and storied history of testing systems with our foreign partners, especially with Norway. Norway has been a partner in F-16 development since its inception, so it was a natural fit to work with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense to make this technology development program a reality. The 416th is equipped to provide flight test expertise and is adaptable to accommodate the testing of first-of-its-kind hardware and software, such as that of the Joint Strike Missile,” said Collin Drake, 416th FLTS JSM project engineer.