Raytheon Co., one of the world’s largest defense contractors, said on Friday that Javelin guided munition and surveillance weapon system has a greater than 94 percent reliability rate.
The company’s website said the Javelin is the world’s most versatile and lethal one-man-portable, anti-tank, guided munition and surveillance weapon system. It is made by the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin.
The Javelin is considered the first “fire-and-forget” shoulder-fired anti-armor weapon system. Its unique top-attack flight mode, self-guiding tracking system and advanced warhead design allows it to defeat all known tanks up to 2,500 meters (demonstrated performance to 4,000 meters in most operational conditions) away from the firer.
Javelin is highly effective against a variety of targets at extended ranges during day or night operations, and under battlefield obscurants, adverse weather and multiple countermeasure conditions.
The system’s soft-launch feature permits firing from enclosures commonly found in complex urban terrain, while its modular design allows the system to evolve to meet changing threats and requirements via both software and hardware upgrades. The system consists of a reusable command launch unit (CLU) and a modular missile encased in a disposable launch tube assembly.
Javelin provides enhanced lethality through the use of tandem warheads that defeat all known armor threats, and can be used against stationary or moving targets. This system also provides defensive capability against attacking or hovering helicopters.