diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index dcf8e9855..629d42eb8 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ Changes that could break older environments:
 Fixed bugs:
 -----------
 
+* <junit> in Ant 1.7.0 could throw NPE if no <classpath> was defined.
+  Bugzilla report 41422.
+
 * In Ant 1.7.0, <fileset> in <javadoc> does not by default include only
   **/*.java as the documentation claims and earlier revisions did.
   Bugzilla report 41264.
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java
index b34cad1ce..541a08e50 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/optional/junit/JUnitTask.java
@@ -756,7 +756,10 @@ public class JUnitTask extends Task {
         if (splitJunit) {
             Path path = new Path(getProject());
             path.add(antRuntimeClasses);
-            path.add(getCommandline().getClasspath());
+            Path extra = getCommandline().getClasspath();
+            if (extra != null) {
+                path.add(extra);
+            }
             mirrorLoader = new SplitLoader(myLoader, path);
         } else {
             mirrorLoader = myLoader;