The Javelin Joint Venture Team, a collaboration between Raytheon [RTN] and Lockheed Martin [LMT], has successfully completed a series of five ground vehicle launch tests for the United Kingdom (U.K.) Army, the companies said Wednesday.
The Javelin is a compact, lightweight missile designed for one-soldier operations in multiple environments. During the U.K. Army-sponsored tests Javelin missiles were mounted on a Spartan armored fighting vehicle and fired using the Kongsberg M151 Remote Weapon Station. Each tested missile flew between 0.75 miles and 2.67 miles to hit stationary ground targets.
Photo: Raytheon
The tests were conducted at the Salisbury Plain Training Area in Wilshire, England.
“Javelin’s effectiveness in this demonstration enables mounted infantry to confidently engage targets at ranges that surpass other weapons in this class. This range, coupled with vehicle integration, enhances overmatch for mounted infantry units,” John Halvey, Javelin Joint Venture president at Raytheon, said in a statement.
The joint venture team highlighted these tests confirmed Javelin has an over 94 percent reliability rate and demonstrated the missile’s capability to engage targets from increased standoff distances on various platforms.
“These successful ground tests validate Javelin’s long-range engagement capability. These tests also reinforce Javelin’s maturity and readiness for deployment from vehicles and other platforms,” Rich Benton, Javelin Joint Venture vice president and Javelin program director at Lockheed Martin, added.
The Javelin is currently fielded by the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and has been approved for 15 foreign military sales customers.