The US-made FGM-148 Javelin is considered to be the world’s most lethal and accurate anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system to counter armored tanks and heavy combat vehicles in the modern battlefield. It has been developed by a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and RTX/Raytheon. In Iraq, Afghanistan and the recent Russia-Ukraine war, Javelin has proved its firepower by destroying the largest modern tanks. India’s inclusion of it in its army’s arsenal and move towards co-production will increase the strength of Indian Infantry on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC) manifold.
The most terrifying and infallible power of Javelin is its Top Attack mode. Most of the world’s modern main battle tanks (such as T-90, T-72 or China’s Type-99) are equipped with extremely strong explosive reactive armor on the front and sides. But the roof (Turret/Roof) of the tank is the thinnest and weakest part. When the javelin is launched, it first rises rapidly into the air to a height of about 150 meters (490 ft) rather than directly at the target. After this, it dives down at an angle of about 90 degrees and directly hits the weak roof of the tank. No tank in the world can withstand its Tandem-Charge Warhead (Tandem HEAT Warhead) and is reduced to debris in a few seconds.
In traditional anti-tank missiles, the soldier had to be guided by laser or wire until the missile reached the target, due to which the soldier remained at risk of enemy counterfire. Javelin works completely on ‘Fire-and-Forget’ technology. The soldier simply locks on to the target using an infrared seeker mounted in the Command Launch Unit (CLU) and pulls the trigger. As soon as the missile is released, the soldier can change his location or hide. The missile’s thermal imaging and infrared seeker automatically tracks the target, whether the tank is moving, in smoke or in the dark of night.
Javelin has been made ‘man-portable’, that is, it can be easily carried by 1 or 2 soldiers on their shoulders on rough roads, dense forests or high mountains. The total weight of the entire system (launcher and missile) is approximately 22 kg. Apart from this, ‘Soft-Launch’ technology has been provided in it. The missile releases very little smoke and backblast as it exits the tube, and when the missile reaches a safe distance, its main rocket motor is fired. Because of this, soldiers can fire it safely even from inside a closed room, bunker or building.
India’s northern borders are located in the high and inaccessible Himalayan regions, where carrying heavy artillery and armored vehicles is a major challenge. Javelin will prove to be the most suitable weapon to deal with the threat of light and medium tanks of the Chinese Army (PLA) in areas like Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. With an effective range of 2.5 to 4 kilometres, this missile is capable of destroying not only tanks but also enemy strong concrete bunkers, sniper posts and low altitude helicopters in the blink of an eye.