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US approves sale of 350 FGM-148F Javelin anti-tank missiles to Australia.
On August 19, 2024, the State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Australia for FGM-148F Javelin Missiles and related equipment at an estimated cost of $100 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has issued the required certification notifying Congress of this potential sale.
Australian FGM-148F Javelin Anti-Tank Missile (Picture source: Australia MoD)
The Australian Government has requested to purchase three hundred fifty (350) Javelin FGM-148F missiles (including four (4) fly-to-buy missiles). Also included are U.S. Government technical assistance, technical data, repair and return services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated cost is $100 million.
The prime U.S. contractor will be the Javelin Joint Venture between Lockheed Martin in Orlando, FL, and Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Tucson, AZ. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Australia.
The FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M), is a portable man-portable anti-tank systems system in service since 1996, and continuously upgraded. It replaced the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. Its fire-and-forget design uses automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch, in contrast to wire-guided systems, like the system used by the Dragon, which requires a user to guide the weapon throughout the engagement. The Javelin's high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead can defeat modern tanks by a top attack, hitting them from above, where their armor is the thinnest, and is also useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight.