The U.S. Army has ordered more than 1800 additional man-portable Javelin anti-tank weapons systems to replace those sent by the U.S. in support of Ukraine against Russia. More than 300 Javelin missiles have already been fired by Ukraine during the war, with most of those hitting their targets and depleting Russia’s armored forces. The versatile missiles, which have a maximum range of 2500 m, are produced by the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) team between Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Lockheed Martin. Raytheon supplies systems engineering and management while Lockheed provides missile engineering and production support and assemblies the missiles. The production contract is valued at $311 million and part of FY2022 acquisitions. The procurement was led by the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space in partnership with other teams across the U S. Department of Defense (DoD).
Javelins first entered service in 1996 and are part of many allies’ weapons arsenals, including Australia, Britain, Lithuania, Jordan, and New Zealand. As Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William A. LaPlante said: “This award is a great example of our continued commitment to strengthening our domestic industrial base while supporting our allies and partners. As we use various authorities to replenish our own stocks, industry can expect a strong, persistent demand signal.” The JJV has produced more than 50,000 Javelin missiles to date and more than 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units (CLUs). The anti-tank missile (see the figure) is expected to be part of the U.S. weapons arsenal through 2050.