On June 16, as part of a pilot project under the US Government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, Ukraine Armed Forces received the first consignment of cargo under the contract signed in December 2019, namely missiles for FGM-148E Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) systems and auxiliary equipment totalling more than $ 27 million. FGM-148E missiles which are one of the latest modifications of Javelin system’s anti-tank missiles were delivered for the needs of the Ukraine Armed Forces.
Delivery of other military goods in accordance with the agreements will be provided in 2021 – 2022. The project envisages the supply of the armament for the Ukraine Armed Forces, its maintenance and the provision of related services for training of personnel for the reliable and efficient operation of anti-tank systems throughout the life cycle. The implementation of the contract totalling more than $ 36.5 million is a significant step in the development of Ukrainian-American strategic cooperation to support Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
The FGM-148 Javelin is an American man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile fielded to replace the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. It uses automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch, as opposed to wire-guided systems, like the Dragon, which require the user to actively guide the weapon throughout the engagement. It can reach a peak altitude of 150 m (500 ft) in top-attack mode and 60 m (190 ft) in direct-fire mode.
The system takes a top-attack flight profile against armored vehicles (attacking the top armor, which is generally thinner), but can also take a direct-attack mode for use against buildings, targets inside the minimum top-attack engagement range, and targets under obstructions. The missile also has the ability to engage helicopters in the direct attack mode. It is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker. The tandem warhead is fitted with two shaped charges: a precursor warhead to detonate any explosive reactive armor and a primary warhead to penetrate base armor.