US Army Resumes Javelin FGM-148F Missile Component Test

The US Army has resumed testing of the Spiral 2 FGM-148F missile component of the Javelin medium close combat system improvement programme.

The trials were suspended in late 2016 due to technical issues with the precursor warhead (PCWH), IHS Jane's 360 reported today.

Developed by the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the Javelin system comprises a missile in a disposable launch tube assembly and a re-useable Command Launch Unit (CLU).

The army has identified four Javelin improvements - referred to as missile Spiral 1, 2 3, and Lightweight CLU (LWCLU) - to reduce unit cost and weight, and improve lethality against non-armoured targets.

The FGM-148 Javelin is an American man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile fielded to replace the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service.

 It uses an automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch, as opposed to wired guided systems, like the Dragon, where the user has to actively guide the weapon throughout the engagement.

The Javelin's HEAT warhead is capable of defeating modern tanks by attacking them from above, and is also very useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight.