Javelin Missile:
India recently submitted a letter of request to the United States for co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) in the country.
- It is an American-made, man-portable, anti-tank guided missile.
- It is developed and produced jointly by American defence majors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
- It was designed to defeat heavily armored vehicles such as main battle tanks and lighter-skinned military vehicles.
- The weapon also has capability against other target types like fortifications, bunkers, and helicopters.
- It first entered service with the U.S. military in 1996.
- It has an effective range of 2.5 km, with newer models reportedly capable of reaching up to 4 kilometers.
- Weight: 5.11 kg
- It uses “fire-and-forget” technology to guide itself to the target without external commands or target designation.
- Soldiers can reposition immediately after firing, or reload to engage another threat with the Javelin system.
- It uses automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch.
- The missile can engage targets using either a direct or top-attack mode, with the latter designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the thinner armor on the tops of tanks.
