The U.S. Dept. of Defense placed a new contract for more than 1,800 Javelin weapon systems for the U.S. Army, as well as the foreign military sales customers in Lithuania and Jordan. The $311-million award to the Javelin Joint Venture follows a similar contract placed four months ago under the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act to supply 1,300 Javelin anti-tank weapons for Pentagon military sales customers in Norway, Albania, Latvia, and Thailand.
The Javelin is a shoulder-mounted anti-tank missile system that uses infrared guidance, allowing the operator to launch the weapon and seek cover. The “high-explosive anti-tank” (HEAT) warhead is effective against tanks as well as fortifications.
Javelin missiles reportedly have been highly effective for Ukrainian forces combating Russian tanks in the ongoing conflict there.
The weapons are produced by the Javelin Joint Venture – a combine of Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Lockheed Martin that has produced more than 50,000 of the man-based system since 1994, as well as over 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units. .
“With usage increasing across the globe, the Javelin Joint Venture is working closely with the Army to meet these increased demands and deliver this critical precision weapon system to domestic and international customers,” stated JJV v.p. and Lockheed Martin Javelin program director Dave Pantano.
Javelin is expected to remain in the U.S. weapon arsenal until 2050, subject to upgrades to support changing operational needs, according to Lockheed.
