The U.S. Army today awarded the Javelin Joint Venture, comprised of Lockheed Martin of Orlando, Florida, and Raytheon Technologies of Tucson, Arizona, contract for the FGM-148 Javelin Missile System. This contract allows Javelin Missile System procurement and production support for the Army, Marines, Navy, and international customers. This is a contract for fiscal years 2023 through 2026, with a base period executed for $1.02 billion and a ceiling of $7.2 billion. This effort was led by Army Contracting Command – Redstone and the Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space in partnership with components across the U.S. Department of Defense.
The FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M), is an American-made portable 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 uses automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch, in contrast to wire-guided systems. The Javelin’s high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead can defeat modern tanks by top attack, hitting them from above, where their armor is thinnest, and is also useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight.
“The Army, along with industry partners, are striving to shorten the production lead time associated with production and delivery of these systems. This contract award further illustrates the urgency the U.S. government is applying to the acquisition of systems and replenishing munitions stockpiles,” said Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology).
Javelin is developed and produced by the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership of Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Lockheed Martin. To date, the Javelin Joint Venture has produced more than 50,000 Javelin missiles and more than 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units. Javelin is expected to be in the U.S. Army’s operational inventory through 2050. To evolve with customer needs, Javelin has planned upgrades to retain overmatch and support emerging operational needs. The latest Javelin variant, the F-Model, is currently in full-rate production and boosts increased lethality and commonality across its userbase. The new Light Weight Command Launch Unit (LWCLU) brings a 30 percent reduction in size and a 25 percent reduction in weight while doubling target detection and recognition.
