The joint venture of Raytheon Co and Lockheed Martin Corp has been awarded a $47 million U.S. Army contract modification for full-rate production of the Javelin missile systems.
Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2023, according to a press release issued Wednesday by U.S. Department of Defense.
The Javelin is portable, shoulder-mounted anti-tank missile systems. It is made by the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between Raytheon Missiles & Defense 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 away from the fire.
The weapon can be deployed from multiple platforms and used during the day, at night and in any kind of weather. The program has also demonstrated that Javelin can be fired from a remote launcher mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle.
In May, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have recently completed the production of its first F-Model of the Javelin anti-tank missile, the latest variant that will be delivered to the Army.
Javelin has been used in Afghanistan and Iraq in more than 5,000 engagements. The system is scheduled to be in inventory until 2050.