Lithuanian Army receives Javelin anti-tank system from US

According to information published by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense on March 10, 2022, Lithuania received the Javelin anti-tank system from the US for a total cost of 40 million USD.

The FGM-148 Javelin (AAWS M) is an American-made portable anti-tank missile fielded since 1996 to replace 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, as opposed to wire-guided systems, like the Dragon, which requires the user to guide the weapon throughout the engagement.

The Javelin’s HEAT warhead is capable of defeating modern tanks by hitting them from above, where their armor is thinnest (see top attack), and is also useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight.

It can reach a peak altitude of 150 m (490 ft) in top-attack mode and 60 m (200 ft) in direct-fire mode. Initial versions had a range of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). Its latest version has a range of 2,500 m (8,200 ft).

It is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker. The tandem warhead is fitted with two shaped charges: a precursor warhead to detonate any explosive reactive armor and a primary warhead to penetrate base armor.