Javelin (surface-to-air missile)

Javelin
Javelin
	British soldier posing with Javelin triple launcher, 1995
Type	Manportable surface-to-air missile
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Used by	See Operators
Production history
Manufacturer	Thales Air Defence
Specifications
Mass	11.1 kilograms (24 lb) (missile) ; 24.3 kilograms (54 lb) (system)
Length	1.39 metres (4 ft 7 in)
Diameter	76 millimetres (3 in)
Crew	1
Effective firing range	300 to 4,500 metres (980 to 14,760 ft) against jets to 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) against helicopters
Warhead	High-explosive warhead
Warhead weight	2.74 kilograms (6.0 lb) (containing 0.6 kilograms (1.3 lb) of HE) with contact and proximity fuzes
Detonation; mechanism	Impact force or proximity fuze
Engine	Solid fuel rocket
Maximum speed	Mach 1.7+ approx.
Guidance; system	SACLOS system

Javelin is a British man-portable surface-to-air missile, formerly used by the British Army and Canadian Army. It can be fired from the shoulder, or from a dedicated launcher named the Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML), that carries three rounds, and can be vehicle mounted.

The missile is an updated version of the earlier Blowpipe of the 1970s. Blowpipe used a manual guidance system which proved hard to use effectively in combat during the Falklands War where only two destroyed aircraft could be definitively attributed to the system. Javelin replaced the manual guidance system with a semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) system that only required the operator to keep their gunsight pointed at the target. A tracking system in the launcher's optics compared the location of the missile to the line-of-sight and sent it commands over a radio link to guide it. This version entered service in 1984, and was later known as Javelin GL.

Further upgrades to the missile added a fully automatic guidance system to produce the Javelin S-15. This was sold commercially, and is better known, as the Starburst surface-to-air missile. These began to replace the GL in British Army service in 1993, although the GL remained in use as a training system. Both were replaced by Starstreak starting around 1997.^[1]

Javelin GL was hastily purchased by the Canadian Forces to replace the Blowpipes that failed last-minute tests during preparations for the deployment to the Persian Gulf for the First Gulf War (1990–1991).^[2]^[3]^[4] It was later replaced by the Javelin S15 until retired without replacement in 2005.

History

The missile was developed as a replacement for the Blowpipe MANPADS, which was used in the Falklands War by both sides, and proved largely ineffective. Only two hits were recorded out of more than 100 launches: a British Harrier GR3 (XZ972) attacked by Argentine Army special forces (Commandos Company), and an Argentine Aermacchi MB-339 (0766 (4-A-114)) during the Battle of Goose Green.^[5]

Operational use

Similar in overall appearance to the manual command to line of sight (MCLOS), radio frequency guided Blowpipe, Javelin is slightly smaller, uses semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) radio frequency guidance and is fitted with an improved warhead. The operator is equipped with a 6× magnification sight and a long range television (TV) camera to locate targets. Although the Javelin's accuracy is somewhat susceptible to smoke, fog, or clouds, it cannot be decoyed away from a target with flares because it does not use an infrared or ultraviolet (UV) spectrum seeker. It is potentially susceptible to infrared jammers such as AN/ALQ-144.

Operators

Current operators

Botswana: In 1991 the Botswana Defence Force procured 25 missiles with five launchers^[6]
Malaysia: Malaysian Armed Forces
Peru: Peruvian Army
South Korea: Republic of Korea Army

Former operators

References

^ "Thales Javelin". Military Factory (MilitaryFactory.com). Retrieved 25 May 2021.
^ Thatcher, Chris (21 December 2017). "Critical Gap: Defending the Threat from Above". Canadian Army Today. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
^ "The Navy Today: The Gulf War: Javelin Surface-to-Air Missile". Canadian War Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
^ rca_admin (27 September 2020) [1 January 2017]. "Javelin Surface to Air Missile UK". Royal Canadian Artillery Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
^ Freedman, Lawrence, Sir (31 May 2004). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign: War and Diplomacy. Vol. 2. Abingdon. pp. 732–735. ISBN 978-0415419116.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Motlogelwa, Tshireletso (13 April 2012). "Khamas monopolised Botswana Defence Force (BDF) tenders". XairForces.

Jane's Land-Based Air Defence 2005–2006, ISBN 0-7106-2697-5
"Javelin".
"Javelin Surface-to-Air Missile".

[Military_Factory-1] "Thales Javelin". Military Factory (MilitaryFactory.com). Retrieved 25 May 2021.

[2] Thatcher, Chris (21 December 2017). "Critical Gap: Defending the Threat from Above". Canadian Army Today. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

[3] "The Navy Today: The Gulf War: Javelin Surface-to-Air Missile". Canadian War Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

[4] rca_admin (27 September 2020) [1 January 2017]. "Javelin Surface to Air Missile UK". Royal Canadian Artillery Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.

[5] Freedman, Lawrence, Sir (31 May 2004). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign: War and Diplomacy. Vol. 2. Abingdon. pp. 732–735. ISBN 978-0415419116.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[6] Motlogelwa, Tshireletso (13 April 2012). "Khamas monopolised Botswana Defence Force (BDF) tenders". XairForces.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Thales Group
Divisions and subsidiaries	Thales Air Defence Thales Australia Thales Communications Thales Nederland Thales Optronics Thales Rail Signalling Solutions Thales Training & Simulation Thales Underwater Systems
Joint ventures	Eurosam (33%) Naval Group (25%) OEMServices (25%) Telespazio (33%) Thales Alenia Space (67%) ThalesRaytheonSystems (50%)
Products	AN/PRC-148 ASTAC Blowpipe Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle Hawkei Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod Eurocat Goalkeeper CIWS Javelin Martlet MW08 Protector RWS S1850M SelTrac SMART-L Sonar 2076 Sonar 2087 Starstreak SWARM Watchkeeper WK450 Ground Master 200 (Multi Mission)
Predecessors	Racal Thomson-CSF Thomson Marconi Sonar LiveTV
Category

v t e Guided missiles of the United Kingdom
Air-to-air	ASRAAM Fireflash Firestreak Meteor Red Dean Red Hebe Red Top SRAAM/Taildog Skyflash
Air-to-surface	ALARM Blue Boar Brimstone Martel¹ Martlet Sea Eagle Sea Skua Storm Shadow¹ Sea Venom¹ SPEAR 3 Tychon
Surface-to-air	Bloodhound Blowpipe CAMM (Sea Ceptor, Land Ceptor) Javelin Rapier Seacat Sea Dart Seaslug Sea Viper Sea Wolf Starburst Starstreak Tigercat Thunderbird
Surface-to-surface	Swingfire Malkara² UB.109T Vigilant NLAW
Nuclear	Blue Steel Blue Streak Blue Water Green Cheese
¹ Anglo-French ² Anglo-Australian

v t e Canadian Army
History	History of the Canadian Army Canadian Corps First Canadian Army Military History of Canada Fort Frontenac Library Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps Peacekeeping
Structure	Structure of the Canadian Army 2nd Canadian Division 3rd Canadian Division 4th Canadian Division 5th Canadian Division List of Units
Mechanized brigade groups	1 CMBG 2 CMBG 5 CMBG (former) 4 CMBG
Brigade groups	31 CBG 32 CBG 33 CBG 34 CBG 35 CBG 36 CBG 37 CBG 38 CBG 39 CBG 41 CBG
Support brigades	6 CCSB
Small arms	C9 light machine gun C7 rifle/C8 carbine C6 general purpose machine gun Browning .50 calibre heavy machine gun Browning-HP 9 mm pistol P225, 226 C22 pistol C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) C3A1 sniper rifle C14 Timberwolf C19 rifle C20 DMR C21 sniper rifle C13 fragmentation grenade M203 grenade launcher M72 SRAAW(L)
Crewed weapons	Carl Gustav SRAAW(M) Spike ATGM TOW LRAAW(H) 81 mm mortar RBS 70 NG MANPADS Skyguard C3 close support howitzer LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer C16 CASW
Armoured fighting vehicles	LAV III LAV VI Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle Leopard 2 Bison APC M113A3 and MTVL RG-31 Textron TAPV
Schools	Canadian Army Command and Staff College Peace Support Training Centre Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre Combat Training Centre
Category Commons