The United States has issued a new contract for production of the FGM-148 Javelin antitank missile system. The contract from the U.S. Department of Defense is worth $307.5 million. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are the prime contractors for this program.

Firing a Javelin antitank missile (Picture source: US Army)

This contract includes orders from foreign countries, including Australia, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkey, Taiwan and Ukraine. The U.S. confirmed in April 2018 the delivery of the first batch of Javelin missiles to the Ukrainian Army.

The Javelin system was developed and is built by a joint venture formed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The FGM-148 Javelin is an American-made man-portable anti-tank guided missile and employable fire-and-forget medium-range missile system. Designed to take the fight to the enemy, the compact, lightweight Javelin is ideally suited for one-soldier operation in all environments. The Javelin has been combat-proven in Afghanistan and Iraq by U.S. and allied soldiers, Marines and Special Forces. Eleven countries have selected Javelin to meet anti-armor requirements. The Javelin has secondary capabilities against helicopters and ground-fighting positions. Its direct-attack capability will engage targets with overhead cover or in bunkers. Its "soft launch" allows employment from within buildings and enclosed fighting positions. The soft launch signature limits the gunner's exposure to the enemy, thus increasing survivability.