Login
iscover
The government of Australia has requested to buy more than 350 Javelin FGM-148F missiles and equipment under a possible US$100 million foreign military sale.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The US Congress has been notified of the possible sale by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 19 August.
The possible sale includes the missiles, US government technical assistance, technical data, repair and return services, logistics and program support.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States. Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific,” a public statement made by the DSCA on 19 August read.
“The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region.
“It is vital to the US national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defence capability.
“The proposed sale will improve the Australian Army’s capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining and increasing its anti-armour capability.
“Australia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. There will be no adverse impact on US defence readiness as a result of this proposed sale.”
The prime contractors will be the Javelin Joint Venture between RTX Corporation and Lockheed Martin. Implementation of the proposed sale is not expected to require the assignment of any US government or contractor representatives to Australia.
In 2023, the Australian Defence Force announced it had successfully fired Javelin missiles from a Warfighter unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) in only the second reported firing of such a weapon from a UGV internationally.
Australian Defence Force’s Special Operations Command held a live fire demonstration with the Javelin portable man-portable anti-tank system at Singleton Military Training Area in NSW in March 2023.
The Cyborg Dynamics Engineering UGV system was able to fire multiple Javelin anti-tank missiles from the unmanned ground vehicle and reportedly hit targets with accuracy at maximum range.
The UGV, which can support a payload of up to 340 kilograms, was also fitted with R400 remote weapon station built by Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems, with both weapons able to simultaneously attain the same target.
