FGM-148 Javelin Antitank Missile
Advanced Antitank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M)
Antiarmor weapons are capable of destroying targets such as tanks, armored combat vehicles, and/or artillery. The Javelin is a manportable, fire-and-forget, antitank missile employed by dismounted infantry to defeat current and future threat armored combat vehicles. Javelin was intended to replace the Dragon system in the Army and the Marine Corps. JAVELIN had significant improvements over DRAGON. The Javelin offered more than twice Dragon II’s maximum range-2,000 versus 950 meters-and enhanced lethality. Also, unlike the Dragon, the gunner would not guide the Javelin’s missile after firing. This would enable the gunner to rapidly fire a second missile or take cover.
Commanders use Army and Marine Corps ground maneuver units equipped with the Javelin to destroy or repel enemy assault through maneuver and firepower. Service members use the Javelin to destroy threat armor targets and light-skinned vehicles, and to incapacitate or kill threat personnel within fortifi ed positions. In recent conflicts, Javelin was used against enemy bunkers, caves, urban structures, mortar positions, snipers, and personnel emplacing IEDs.
The Javelin's range of approximately 2,500 meters is more than twice that of its predecessor, the Dragon. The Javelin has secondary capabilities against helicopters and ground-fighting positions. It is equipped with an imaging infrared (I2R) system and a fire-and-forget guided missile. The Javelin's normal engagement mode is top-attack to penetrate the tank's most vulnerable armor. It also has a direct-attack capability to engage targets with overhead cover or in bunkers. Its "soft launch" allows employment from within buildings and enclosed fighting positions. The soft launch signature limits the gunner's exposure to the enemy, thus increasing survivability. JAVELIN is also much more lethal than DRAGON. It has a top attack dual warhead capability which can defeat all known enemy armor systems.
The Javelin's CLU provides battlefield surveillance and target acquisition capabilities. The daysight works much like a telescope and consists of a lens, status indicators, and an eyepiece. The daysight provides the gunner visible light imagery with 4x magnification for target viewing and battlefield surveillance. it can be used with the power off for surveillance to conserve battery life. It is not affected by IR clutter.
The top attack is the default mode when the missile seeker is first activated. In the top attack mode, the missile approaches from above to impact and detonate on the top of the target. This capacity allows the gunner to attack a vehicle from the front, rear, or the side and greatly increases the probability of a kill. Vehicles usually have less protection on top. The minimum engagement distance is 150 meters. The exact profile of the missile flight path depends on the range to the target and is determined automatically by the missile’s onboard software). When firing at a 2,000-meter target, the missile reaches a height of about 160 meters above the battlefield. If the target is under a protective structure, using the top attack mode will cause the missile to detonate on the structure instead of on the target. The gunner can select the direct attack mode to counter targets hiding under protective cover.
The direct attack mode can be selected only after seeker cooldown and before lock-on. The gunner pushes the attack select (ATTK SEL) switch on the right handgrip to change attack modes. In the direct attack mode, the missile flies on a more direct path to the target. The missile impacts and detonates on the side (front, rear, or flank) of the target. The minimum engagement distance is 65 meters. The exact profile of the missile flight path depends on the range to the target and is determined automatically by the missile’s onboard software. With a 2,000-meter target, the missile reaches a height of about 60 meters above the battlefield. This path allows the missile to reach a target under a protective structure.
Javelin provides the Army, Marine Corps, and allies a man-portable, fire-and-forget missile system that is highly lethal against objects ranging from main battle tanks to fleeting targets of opportunity found in current threat environments. The Javelin Close Combat Missile System – Medium (CCMS-M) is a man-portable, medium-range tactical missile system that provides the U.S. Army and Marine Corps with precision direct-fire effects to defeat main battle tanks and other armored vehicles as well as personnel and equipment in fortifications or in the open. Javelin is highly effective against a variety of targets at extended ranges during day or night operations, and under battlefield obscurants, adverse weather, and multiple countermeasure conditions. The system’s soft-launch feature permits firing from enclosures commonly found in complex urban terrain, while its modular design allows the system to evolve to meet changing threats and requirements via both software and hardware upgrades. The system consists of a reusable command launch unit (CLU) and a modular missile encased in a disposable launch tube assembly. The CLU provides stand-alone surveillance capability ideally suited for infantry operations in multiple environments.
Javelin’s fire-and-forget technology allows the gunner to fire and immediately take cover, move to another fighting position, or reload. Javelin provides enhanced lethality through the use of tandem warheads that defeat all known armor threats and can be used against stationary or moving targets. This system also provides defensive capability against attacking or hovering helicopters. In 2018, the Army began procuring the new F-model missile that incorporates a multipurpose warhead to improve lethality against soft targets while still meeting all anti-armor requirements. The next upgrade planned is the G-model missile, which will retain the multipurpose warhead and represent a complete modernization of the missile to address obsolescence and reduce unit cost. A lightweight CLU is in development with the goal of reducing the current CLU weight by at least 25% and size by at least 30%.
The Javelin is not required to distinguish friend from foe (called positive identification), but its advanced sensor offers some inherent capability in that area. The Secretary of Defense’s 1992 annual report to the Congress stated that improvements were required in the ability to distinguish friend from foe because of (1) the range and lethality of modern weapons and (2) the value America places on the lives of its personnel. The report concluded that weapons such as the Javelin with its advanced focal plane array sensor will allow U.S. forces to identify enemy formations at increased range in day or night.
However, the Javelin’s positive identification capability was not scheduled for assessment, and its capability in this area could be reduced by Army decisions regarding cost versus minimum specification requirements. The need for improved positive identification was reinforced by Desert Storm experiences. For example, DOD'S April 1992 after action report to the Congress on Desert Storm stated that (1) fire from friendly forces caused more Bradley Fighting Vehicle losses than enemy fire and (2) all nine permanent losses of M1A1 tanks were caused by friendly fire. However, the 1988 Joint Army and Marine Corps Operational Requirement for the Javelin calls for the system to be capable of recognizing different a categories of targets, such as trucks versus tanks. The Javelin was not required to distinguish friend from foe or identify the type of tank, truck, or other target-a capability critical to positive identification.
As a fire-and-forget missile, after launch the missile has to be able to track and destroy its target without the gunner. This is done by coupling an on-board imaging IR system (different from CLU imaging system) with an on-board tracking system. The gunner uses the CLU's IR system to find and identify the target then switches to the missile's independent IR system to set a track box around the target and establish a lock. The gunner places brackets around the image for locking. The seeker stays focused on the target's image continuing to track it as the target moves or the missile's flight path alters or as attack angles change. The seeker has three main components: focal plane array (FPA), cooling and calibration and stabilization.
The seeker assembly is encased in a dome that is transparent to long-wave infrared radiation. The IR radiation passes through the dome and then through lenses that focus the energy. The IR energy is reflected by mirrors on to the FPA. The seeker is a two-dimensional staring FPA of 64×64 MerCad (HgCdTe) detector elements. The FPA processes the signals from the detectors and relays a signal to the missile's tracker. The staring array is a photo-voltaic device where the incident photons stimulate electrons and are stored, pixel by pixel, in a readout integrated circuits attached at the rear of the detector. These electrons are converted to voltages that are multiplexed out of the ROIC on a frame-by-frame basis.
The Javelin is a tactical precision engagement system that enhances the Army's ability to dominate the ground maneuver battle. The Javelin's impact on scout capabilities will be significant. It will allow dismounted scouts to execute reconnaissance and combat patrols with a relatively lightweight thermal sight. It will also give dismounted patrols the capability of dealing with unexpected armored vehicle threats. (Scouts, however, will not use the Javelin to seek out and destroy enemy armor in offensive operations.)
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