Home Europe US clears sale of 600 Javelins for the UK

US clears sale of 600 Javelins for the UK

More Javelins for the UK
US Marine Corps file photo

The US State Department has approved a potential sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the United Kingdom for an estimated $125.13 million.

The UK requested to buy up to 600 Javelin FGM-148F missiles, including twelve 12 “fly-to-buy” missiles and technical assistance.

The sale clearance for the missiles follows an approval for the supply of 513 Javelin lightweight command launch units (LWCLUs) to the UK from August 2022 that came with an estimated price tag of USD300 million.

The UK is looking to stock up on the missiles after sending large quantities to Ukraine, where they are being used to defend against the Russian invasion.

Built jointly by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, the Javelin is a one-man-portable and platform-employed anti-tank and multi-target precision weapon system. Using “fire-and-forget” technology capable of defeating targets up to 4 kilometers in most operational conditions, the weapon guides itself to the target without external commands, controls or target designation.

“The proposed sale will improve the United Kingdom’s capability to meet current and future threats. The United Kingdom will use the enhanced capability to build its long-term defense capacity to meet its national defense requirements. The United Kingdom will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said announcing the approval.