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Improved British Army Javelin launcher passes milestone as more missile orders placed

27th May 2025 - 12:23 GMT | by Damian Kemp in London

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The LWCLU is 30% smaller and 25% lighter, while doubling target detection and recognition. (Photo: Raytheon)

Almost US$2 billon has been placed in orders for the Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) in the past 18 months with the British Army just announcing firing of its Lightweight Command Launch Unit (LWCLU) over an extended range.

The Javelin ATGM has seen more than US$300 million in approved orders in the past month, taking orders and approvals to more than $2 billion in the past 18 months, and has successfully passed an improved firing trial.

The system is made by the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin and the venture will increase manufacture of missiles to 3,960 annually by 2026 and 900 LWCLUs by 2030.

The company, part of RTX, announced the British Army had conducted their first successful live fire using Raytheon’s Javelin LWCLU at extended range of 4km shot, a record distance for

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Damian Kemp

Damian Kemp has worked in the defence media for 25 years covering military aircraft, defence …

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