{
    "title": "Belgium to buy 700m euro cruise missiles for F-35 jets and drones",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-22 09:45:50",
    "published_at": "2026-05-22 06:44:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgium-to-buy-700m-cruise-missiles-for-f-35-jets-and-drones",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/CrHd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "belgium-to-buy-700m-cruise-missiles-for-f-35-jets-and-drones",
    "body": "<p><strong>Belgium is set to spend nearly 700 million euros on Norwegian-made cruise missiles for its new F-35 fighter jets, according to reports by De Tijd and L&rsquo;Echo.</strong></p><p>The AGM-184 JSM missiles are being developed by Norway&rsquo;s Kongsberg with US defence firm Raytheon. The weapons can strike targets on land or at sea from up to 350km away.</p><p>The missiles can be carried inside the F-35 without reducing the aircraft&rsquo;s stealth capability, which helps it avoid enemy radar detection. Belgium has already ordered 34 F-35 jets and plans to buy 11 more.</p><p>Defence officials have not revealed how many missiles are being bought. Reports in the United States suggest each missile costs around 2.75 million euros.</p><p>The missiles are also expected to be used later on Belgium&rsquo;s SkyGuardian military drones. In preparation, the army has ordered 16 Brimstone missiles and 120 Hellfire missiles for the drones.</p><p>The purchases are part of Belgium&rsquo;s wider effort to strengthen its military capabilities amid growing security concerns in Europe.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>F-35 fighter jet &copy; BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-0734a1ed-9783-4854-8446-4b1ef216bdef\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"http://prez.ly/ZGGd\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fcfc6c41f-c49d-4a18-b3ac-923806ad1cdb%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=5dd2c49ac28a3e94c68874762a7686d5)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"http://prez.ly/ZGGd\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"0734a1ed-9783-4854-8446-4b1ef216bdef\"\n           >\n                Belgian defence industry looks to expand ties with Turkey during trade mission            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                A \u201cdefence day\u201d bringing together Belgian and Turkish defence companies took place in Ankara on Wednesday as part of Belgium\u2019s five-day economic...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fbelgian-defence-industry-looks-to-expand-ties-with-turkey-during-trade-mission&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Belgian defence industry looks to expand ties with Turkey during trade mission",
            "url": "http://prez.ly/ZGGd"
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    ],
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
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}