US offers Javelin Anti Tank Guided Missiles again to India.

The Lockheed Martin Javelin ATGM is included in the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between India and the US, Huma Siddiqui reports in the Financial Times of India. The U.S. company repeats its offer to the Indian government.

Lockheed Martin "Javelin" ATGM (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Lockheed Martin is ready to offer its FGM-148 Javelin Anti-tank Guided Missiles through the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between India and US, and `Make II’ set, which means that the US administration is ready to share technology and to co-produce and co-develop future weapon systems in India. Through the efforts of the DTTI, more than 50% of the original or pathfinder projects have reached project agreement. Projects including signature aperture radar, hot-engine technology for indigenous light combat aircraft and stealth-coating technology are critical for widening the scope for DTTI cooperation.

The Americans have so far been reluctant to part with the latest generation of technology for Javelin, but the MoD source said Washington has now agreed to part with new-generation Javelin for co-production in India. India had come very close to purchasing the Javelin weapon, through the Foreign Military Sales route, but the US had refused to transfer technology for the system and the proposal finally fell through in 2010.

In The Financial Times, Huma Siddiqui reminds that the Javelin (4,000-meter range) has already been rejected once when Indian Army chose the Israeli Spike-MR (2,500-meter range). The tender for acquiring ATGM from countries including Israel, France and the US was canceled earlier after a decision was taken to get the indigenous missiles from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

As already reported by Army Recognition, last October, after successfully flight testing for the second time the indigenously developed Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), production facility for manufacturing these missiles was inaugurated at Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) unit at Bhanur. The mass production of the man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) is likely to start in 2021. These missiles are going to equip India Army’s both infantry and mechanised units by the early 2020s. The Indian army says it requires at least 40,000 anti-tank guided missiles in the next 20 years to equip 382 infantry battalions and 44 mechanized infantry units with new-generation weapons and replace the second- generation French-made Milan 2 missile.