Much has changed since the Cold War, including the main priorities and threats to NATO countries and their weapons systems.
And apparently, Chinese main battle tanks have become the primary targets for the modern U.S.-made anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system.
An intriguing post on Twitter suggested that the Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin Corp and his partner Raytheon Co., one of the world’s largest defense contractors, have a sense of humor and began to use the image of the Chinese tank as the number one target for their Javelin systems.
Shared on the 笑脸男人 account, the image is showing new Javelin’s emblem on the modern turret of the combat vehicle. We see an emblem of a Javelin system with a Chinese Type 99 main battle tank (industrial code WZ123).
LM & Raytheon:“Javelin Anti-Tank Missile is Chinese type 99 killer” pic.twitter.com/HUEvaE0uUQ
— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) February 16, 2021
The Javelin was developed and produced for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps by the Javelin Joint Venture between Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida and Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona.
Using an arched top-attack profile, Javelin climbs above its target for improved visibility and then strikes where the armor is weakest. To fire, the gunner places a cursor over the selected target. The Javelin command launch unit then sends a lock-on-before-launch signal to the missile. With its soft launch design, Javelin can be safely fired from inside buildings or bunkers.
As to the Type 99, this is a third-generation battle tank Manufactured for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by China Northern Industries Corporation (CNGC) or Norinco.