Lithuania acquiring another batch of Javelin anti-tank missiles
The procurement is based on a contract with the US from 2001 that was significantly modified and expanded. The current plan is for the purchase of components worth $104 million
Eyal Boguslavsky
| 30/12/2020
Photo: Lithuanian Land Forces
Lithuania is purchasing another batch of FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles valued at $10 million. The delivery of this batch is expected to be completed by 2024. This summer, the Lithuanian Army received a javelin delivery worth $31 million. According the German website Soldat und Technik, the current procurement project is based on a contract with the US from 2001 which was significantly modified and expanded under the influence of the Ukraine conflict in 2014 and 2016. The current plan is for the purchase of $104 million worth of components.
The Javelin is a medium-range anti-tank guided missile system. According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, the weapon is capable of fighting modern battle tanks protected by explosive reactive armor (ERA) both in daylight and at night at a distance of 75 meters to 2.5 kilometers. There are documented cases of US troops firing the weapon during the Iraq war at distances of more than 3.5 kilometers. The system uses the “fire-and-forget” principle: when the target is captured and a guided missile is fired, the guided missile automatically steers itself into the target. The anti-tank troops can therefore take cover immediately after firing. The tandem warhead of the Javelin is able to attack its target directly or in top attack mode from a height of up to 150 meters and to hit a tank on the less protected upper side.
The German website said that the US-made guided missiles expand the anti-tank capabilities already provided by the AT-4 and Carl Gustaf M2 and M3 systems, and offer the dismounted forces a significant increase in range. It should be noted that Lithuania also has a variant of the Boxer infantry fighting vehicle with the Spike LR guided missile system, and thus the country's anti-tank weaponry have ranges of up to 4000 meters.
The procurement is based on a contract with the US from 2001 that was significantly modified and expanded. The current plan is for the purchase of components worth $104 million
Photo: Lithuanian Land Forces
Lithuania is purchasing another batch of FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles valued at $10 million. The delivery of this batch is expected to be completed by 2024. This summer, the Lithuanian Army received a javelin delivery worth $31 million. According the German website Soldat und Technik, the current procurement project is based on a contract with the US from 2001 which was significantly modified and expanded under the influence of the Ukraine conflict in 2014 and 2016. The current plan is for the purchase of $104 million worth of components.
The Javelin is a medium-range anti-tank guided missile system. According to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, the weapon is capable of fighting modern battle tanks protected by explosive reactive armor (ERA) both in daylight and at night at a distance of 75 meters to 2.5 kilometers. There are documented cases of US troops firing the weapon during the Iraq war at distances of more than 3.5 kilometers. The system uses the “fire-and-forget” principle: when the target is captured and a guided missile is fired, the guided missile automatically steers itself into the target. The anti-tank troops can therefore take cover immediately after firing. The tandem warhead of the Javelin is able to attack its target directly or in top attack mode from a height of up to 150 meters and to hit a tank on the less protected upper side.
The German website said that the US-made guided missiles expand the anti-tank capabilities already provided by the AT-4 and Carl Gustaf M2 and M3 systems, and offer the dismounted forces a significant increase in range. It should be noted that Lithuania also has a variant of the Boxer infantry fighting vehicle with the Spike LR guided missile system, and thus the country's anti-tank weaponry have ranges of up to 4000 meters.
