Javelin Missile

​About Javelin Missile

The Javelin Missile is an American-made, medium-range, man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). It first entered service with the US military in 1996.

It is jointly developed and produced by two American defence companies, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

​Key Features of the Javelin Missile

Man-Portable System: Javelin is a single-person, shoulder-fired, fire-and-forget anti-tank weapon system. It can also be fired from a remote launcher mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle.

Range: It has a standard effective range of approximately 2.5 km.

Attack Modes: The missile can be launched in top-attack and direct-attack modes, allowing it to engage targets using different attack profiles.

Targets: It is designed to destroy heavily armoured vehicles, including main battle tanks, as well as lighter-armoured military vehicles. It is also effective against fortifications, bunkers and helicopters.

​Working of the Javelin Missile

Fire-and-Forget Technology: After launch, the missile automatically guides itself towards the target. This allows the gunner to take cover or reposition without continuously guiding the missile.

Top-Attack Profile: In top-attack mode, the missile follows an arched trajectory, rises above the target and strikes its upper armour, which is generally less protected than the frontal armour.

Rapid Repositioning: After firing, soldiers or marines can move to another position or reload the system to engage another threat, reducing their exposure to enemy counterfire.