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A big success with US forces, this new anti-armour weapon lessens exposure to enemy counter-action.
In the late 1980s rapid advances in Soviet armour technology threatened to make US anti-armour weapon systems obsolete. To counter this threat the US Army and Marines Corps launched a series of initiatives to develop weapon systems to give their infantry units man-portable anti-tank weapons capable of defeating all known armour.
But they also wanted a manportable weapon that dramatically reduced the vulnerability of their tank-hunting teams to enemy counter-action. In-service weapons such as the Dragon had large exhaust signatures that gave away the operator's position. They also had to be manually guided throughout the flight of the weapon, leaving the operator in an exposed position and vulnerable to enemy counter-action.
The result was Javelin, produced by the Javelin Joint Venture, involving Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control in Orlando, Florida and Raytheon in Lewisville, Texas.
The weapon system
Javelin comprises three main elements, a command launch unit (CLU) made by Raytheon, the missile round and a supporting family of training devices. The heart of the CLU is an integrated day/thermal sight that the operator uses to find and nominate targets. Once he nominates a target, he hands it over to the missile that stores an electronic image of the target. Javelin uses an imaging infra-red seeker to guide itself automatically to the target after launch, allowing the gunner to take cover and avoid counterfire. Soldiers or marines can reposition immediately after firing, or reload to engage another threat.
Using an arched top-attack profile, Javelin climbs above its target for improved visibility and then strikes where the armour is weakest. To fire, the gunner places a cursor over the selected target. The Javelin command launch unit then sends a lock-on-before-launch signal to the missile. With its soft-launch design that dramatically reduces backblast, Javelin can be fired safely from inside buildings or bunkers.
The weapon's training devices include a basic skills trainer for classroom training, a field tactical trainer and a missile-simulation round.
In US service
The first US army units began receiving the Javelin in 1996 and the US Marines received their first weapon systems three years later. Production is now fully underway with 440 rounds and 50 CLUs a month rolling off production lines.
By late 2000, 3,190 rounds and 948 CLUs had been produced out of current orders for 17,984 rounds and 3,518 CLUs. US army units that have completed conversion to the weapon include the 75th Ranger regiment, 173rd Airborne brigade, 2nd Infantry division and ten US Marine Corps battalions. The US Army's 10th Mountain Division is in training with the weapon system.
All units reported excellent performance with the weapon. Unit effectiveness rates of 90 per cent flight success and 90 per cent first-time gunner hits are reported. According to Lockheed Martin,
a hit rate of four rounds out of four rounds was reported from the first production lot (or batch) of missiles.
Work is already underway to improve the lethality of the weapon system and also to mount it onto vehicles. Its modular design facilitates growth to meet new threats or countermeasures.
Export prospects
The Pentagon already has approved the weapon system for international sales via foreign military sales (FMS).
The weapon's international debut was at field firing trials in Finland during January 1999. The spotlight has now turned on the Netherlands and the UK where active competitions are well underway. A decision from the Netherlands Ministry of Defence was due in late 2000. The UK has asked for bids for its light forces manportable anti-armour weapon requirement and trials are to take place this year.
Lockheed Martin say the Javelin is a highly competitive weapon system because of its fire-and-forget capability, high operator survivability and proven production record for the US Army and Marines Corps.
SPECIFICATIONS
Missile:
- Manportable anti-tank weapon
- Weight: 26.1lb (11.8kg)
- Length: 42.6in (108.1cm)
- Diameter: 5in (12.7cm)
- Range: 2km
- Warhead: tandem-shaped charge
Command launch unit:
- Passive target acquisition/fire control with integrated day/thermal sight
- Weight: 14.1lb (6.4kg)
- Magnification: 4X day and 4X or 9X thermal
Launch tube:
- Expendable container/launch tube
- Weight: 9lb (4.1kg)
- Length: 47.2in (119.8cm)
- Diameter: 5.6in (14.2cm)
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