Dubbed the “Tank Hunter and the Nightmare of the Tanks,” the missile won American and European acclaim because it played a key role in preventing Russia from achieving a quick victory in the early days of the Ukrainian war, according to military experts.
Since last December, the United States has sent about 5,000 Javelin missiles to Kyiv out of 5,500 missiles the White House has pledged, according to Bloomberg.
bears the names of the children
During his visit to the Lockheed Martin factory that produces Javelin missiles on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said those missiles enabled the Ukrainian military to make a real difference against the Russian army.
Biden added, “Some Ukrainian parents named their children after this anti-tank missile, saying, ‘I’m not joking, there are babies with names like Javelin or Javlina.”
However, members of the US Congress, such as Republican Senator Roy Blunt, expressed concern about Washington sending about 25% of its stockpile of “Javlin” and “Stinger” anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.
Washington has allocated more than $5 billion to replenish its military stockpile, but restoring it to its full capacity may take years, according to US officials.
The Javelin missiles are perhaps “the most advanced and powerful anti-tank weapon and a powerful addition to Ukraine’s arsenal,” said Mark Kansian, a strategic and military analyst.
“It is easy to train fighters to use, and it also allows Ukrainian forces to set up ambushes or strong launch points to target Russian forces,” he adds.
Kansian points out that Russian tanks are the most affected by these missiles, because they are designed to be “very small and compact”, according to AFP.
Super powers
The Javelin missile is launched from a platform or shoulder, weighs about 7 kilograms, and has a range of about 2,500 meters.
It is distinguished from others that it falls on the target from the top and not from the side, like the rest of the anti-missiles, which gives it the advantage of overcoming obstacles and the ability to hit tanks in their weakest areas.
It was called the “spear” because its method of launching is similar to throwing a spear that falls to the ground at a steep angle, and is characterized by high destructive power, as it is capable of penetrating any tank, according to military reports.
It also uses an overhead guidance system, which arches when it hits the target and targets the weakest point of the target from above.
In order to launch a Javelin, the launcher must identify the target through the pointer, which sends a signal to the overall system of the intended target before firing, and the launch design allows the Javelin to be used safely from inside buildings or bunkers.
There are two ways for the missile to eliminate the tank or the target: the first is when the target is exposed in front of it and flies directly towards it, and the second is when the target is behind a barrier, then the missile flies to a height of 160 meters to cross the barrier and then falls perpendicular to its target, like the spears of the ancient Roman armies.
The Javelin anti-armor missile entered service in 1996, and its maximum firing range is about 4,750 meters.
According to military reports, it targets main battle tanks, armored cars, bunkers, caves, fortifications, and low-flying helicopters, and has a proven reliability rate of more than 94 percent.
It can also be used in all weather conditions, day or night, in addition to the fact that the launch process is not accompanied by a lot of debris or smoke, which makes it difficult for the enemy to track the location of the launch.
protector of ukraine
And Javelin bombers have become the preferred weapon of Ukrainians, as they circulate it in a modified form on social networks, in which a religious icon bears the name of Mary Magdalene, a symbolic saint in the Orthodox Church.
This “icon”, called “Saint Javelin”, the protector of Ukraine, shows Mary Magdalene carrying one of the missiles under a halo of yellow and blue, the two colors of the Ukrainian flag, according to Agence France-Presse.
These bombers, equipped with two explosive charges, can penetrate the most advanced tanks in the world, especially the Russian T-90 tank.
Military expert Ahmed Mamoun says that the pictures of destroyed Russian tanks drew attention to the American Javelin missiles during the war, as it has high destructive capabilities, and is capable of penetrating any tank or military vehicle.
He added to “Sky News Arabia”, that these missiles proved particularly effective against advanced Russian tanks and vehicles during the war in Ukraine.
Javelin disadvantages
Despite his strength, Javelin is not without some flaws, as tanks can shoot a user if he is hiding behind a hill or bush.
It is also expensive and complex to produce, with costs ranging between $80,000 and $200,000 per missile, according to Emil Kotlarsky, a senior analyst at Guinness Defense.
For his part, Russian military analyst Vladimir Sivkov says that the fighting in Ukraine has proven the ineffectiveness of Javelin against military equipment in residential areas.
He added to “Sky News Arabia”, that “the Javelin concept itself is somewhat questionable, as it targets only warm armored vehicles, and if it is cold, it cannot do anything,” noting that this missile requires him to independently identify and capture the target, Without it, it cannot be launched.
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