U.S. awards £1.3bn contract for Javelin missile production
The U.S. Army has awarded the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) a follow-on production contract valued at £1.3 billion for Javelin missiles and associated equipment and services.
This award marks the largest single-year production contract for the Javelin system to date and follows the initial indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract that was granted in May 2023.
According to the announcement, this contract will facilitate the procurement of Javelin weapon systems and provide production support for the U.S. Army. The JJV commenced production ramp-up activities last year with the goal of increasing the output of Javelin All Up Round (AUR) missiles to 3,960 units annually by late 2026.
“Now more than ever, Javelin is recognised as the most effective, combat-proven anti-armour weapon system in the world,” said Andy Amaro, president of JJV and Javelin programme director at Raytheon, a business within RTX.
The contract will also address the rising global demand for the Javelin missile, which has over 25 international customers, including the newly added customer Kosovo. Notably, it includes the provision of more than 4,000 Javelins to replenish stocks sent to Ukraine amidst ongoing conflict.
“With the increased demand for Javelin worldwide, our ability to ramp production to support our Army customer and global users is more important now than ever,” remarked Dave Pantano, JJV vice president and Lockheed Martin Javelin programme director.
The Javelin system is developed and produced by the partnership between Raytheon, based in Tucson, Arizona, and Lockheed Martin, located in Orlando, Florida. To date, the JJV has successfully manufactured over 50,000 Javelin missiles along with more than 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units.
