Pilum High: The Javelin Anti-Armor Missile
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Australia & S. Pacific, Britain/U.K., Contracts - Intent, Contracts - Modifications, FOCUS Articles, Field Innovations, Field Reports, Lockheed Martin, Middle East - Other, Missiles - Anti-Armor, Raytheon, Sensors & Guidance, Warfare - Lessons, Warfare - Trends
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After a series of disastrous experiences in Vietnam trying to use 66mm M72 LAW rockets against old Soviet tanks, the US military developed a renewed seriousness about giving its soldiers shoulder-fired weapons that packed enough punch to face down enemy armor. A number of options like the Mk 153 SMAW and the AT4/M136 spun out of that effort in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until electronics had miniaturized for several more cycles that it became possible to solve the next big problem: the need for soldiers to remain exposed to enemy fire while guiding anti-tank missiles to their targets.
Javelin solves both of those problems at once, offering a heavy fire-and-forget missile that will reliably destroy any enemy armored vehicle, and many fortifications as well. While armored threats are less pressing these days, the need to destroy fortified outposts and rooms in buildings remains. Indeed, one of the lessons from both sides of the 2006 war in Lebanon has been the infantry’s use of guided missiles as a form of precision artillery fire.
Javelin is not an ideal candidate for that latter role due to its high cost-per-unit; nevertheless, it has often been used this way. Its performance in Iraq has revealed a clear niche on both low and high intensity battlefields, and led to rising popularity with international and American clients. This DID FOCUS Article covers the Javelin anti-armor missile system, and associated contracts and key events. The latest items include a $200+ million contract for more Javelin systems…
- The Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile System
- Javelin ATGM: The Program [updated]
- Javelin ATGM: Reports from the Front
- Javelin: Contracts & Key Events (2004 – Present [updated]
- Additional Readings
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