FGM-148 Javelin
| FGM-148 Javelin | |
|---|---|
An assembled FGM-148 Javelin launcher | |
| Type | Anti-tank missile Surface-to-surface missile Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1996–present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Texas Instruments & Martin Marietta, now Raytheon Technologies & Lockheed Martin |
| Designed | June 1989 |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon & Lockheed Martin |
| Unit cost | US$216,717 (G-model missile only, FY2021) US$240,000 (missile only, export cost, FY2019) US$249,700 (Lightweight CLU only, FY2021) |
| Produced | 1996–present |
| No. built | 50,000 missiles (12,000 CLUs) |
| Variants | See: § Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 1.1 m (43 in) (missile) |
| Barrel length | 1.2 m (47 in) |
| Diameter | 127 mm (5.0 in) |
| Crew | 1 or 2 |
| Calibre | 127 mm (5.0 in) |
| Effective firing range |
|
| Sights | Optical sight & thermal imaging |
| Warhead | Tandem-charge HEAT |
| Warhead weight | 8.4 kg (19 lb) |
Detonation mechanism | Contact fuze |
| Blast yield |
|
| Propellant | Solid-fuel |
| Flight ceiling | 150 m (490 ft) (top attack mode) 60 m (200 ft) (direct attack mode) |
Guidance system | Infrared homing |
Launch platform | Man-portable launcher |
The FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M), is an American-made man-portable anti-tank system in service since 1996 and continuously upgraded. It replaced the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. Its fire-and-forget design features automatic infrared guidance, allowing the user to seek cover immediately after launch, in contrast to wire-guided systems like the system used by the Dragon, which require a user to guide the weapon throughout the engagement. The Javelin's high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead can defeat modern tanks by top-down attack, hitting them from above, where their armor is thinnest, and is useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight. The Javelin uses a tandem charge warhead to circumvent an enemy tank's explosive reactive armor (ERA), which would normally render HEAT warheads ineffective.
As of 2019, according to claims by the manufacturer, the Javelin had been used in around five thousand successful engagements. By August 2021, fifty thousand missiles had been delivered to customers.
The weapon made its combat debut in Iraq in 2003 and rose to prominence in the Russo-Ukrainian War, where it saw extensive usage by Ukrainian forces during the early stages of the 2022 Russian invasion.