The U.S. Army awarded the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) a follow-on fiscal year 2025 production contract for FGM-148 Javelin (Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M)) missiles and associated equipment and services with a total value not to exceed $900.5 million. In addition, Brazil and Tunisia are included in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) as a part of this contract, a pivotal JJV milestone as they are the first Southern American and North African Javelin users, respectively. This is a follow-on award that is part of an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity production contract that was initially awarded in May 2023. Earlier this year, the Javelin team started employing new tooling and test equipment to improve the efficiency of the Javelin production line to support the increased production rates.
“Javelin remains the world’s most effective, combat-proven anti-armor system,” said Brian Burton, vice president of Precision Fires and Maneuver at Raytheon, an RTX business. “We’re working closely with the U.S. Army and international customers, and continuing to invest in our production facilities, to meet global demand for Javelin.”
“With Javelin’s continued global demand, our ability to ramp production is crucial in supporting our customers’ needs,” said Rich Liccion, JJV vice president and Lockheed Martin Javelin program director. “This contract also demonstrates the confidence our customers have in Javelin’s reliability and effectiveness in meeting its mission. We are committed to delivering this critical defense solution to help our partners stay ahead of ready and defend against the ever-evolving threats worldwide.”
With more than 25 international customers worldwide, this contract supports the JJV’s ability to meet increased global demand, including new international customers Brazil and Tunisia. With the addition of these two users, the Javelin weapon system is currently being used on all continents across the globe, with the exception of Antarctica. The contract also includes Javelin FMS orders for key NATO allies Estonia and Bulgaria. In addition, the award includes a Javelin FMS order for Australia, highlighting Javelin’s continued use as a critical capability in the Indo-Pacific region. Javelin is developed and produced by the JJV between Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) in Orlando, Florida. To date, the JJV has produced more than 55,000 Javelin missiles and more than 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units.
The FGM-148 Javelin is an American-made man-portable anti-tank system in service since 1996 and continuously upgraded. Its fire-and-forget design features automatic infrared guidance, allowing the user to seek cover immediately after launch. It can reach a peak altitude of 150 m (490 ft) in top attack mode and 60 m (200 ft) in direct attack mode. Initial versions had a range of 2,000 m (6,600 ft), later increased to 2,500 m (8,200 ft). 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. 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.
