"Javelin" - ATGM (anti-tank missile system) of the third generation with an automatic control system. Javelin Joint Venture began work on the creation of this ATGM under the AAWS-M (Advanced Anti-tank System Medium) program in 1986. The first ATGM "Javelin" was received by the American army in the fall of 1995. By the end of 1996, new complexes were put into service, they were armed with units of the US Marine Corps and Ground Forces.
The program for the development and launch of serial production of the Javelin ATGM cost the Americans $ 5 billion, the approximate price of one complex is $ 75,000, it is planned to gradually completely replace the outdated Dragon ATGM with these complexes.
M47 Dragon
It is believed that the Javelin complex in terms of its performance characteristics meets the requirements of warfare up to 2020.
The ATGM includes: an aiming and launching device (PPU) with equipment that produces a shot, and a passive combined, all-day sight, as well as a transport and launch container (TPK), which houses a medium-range missile of the "fire and forget" type, equipped with an infrared homing head (GOS). In addition to the homing head, the rocket has a tandem cumulative warhead and a dual-band solid-propellant rocket engine.
It is this missile that is the main difference between the Javelin ATGM and the second generation complex. When firing from a second-generation ATGM, the operator, after launching the rocket, remained in position and aimed the rocket at the target. Having fired from the Javelin, the operator can change position or go into cover, which, accordingly, significantly increases the survivability of both the operator and the complex itself.
The missile has two attack modes: direct attack mode in the horizontal plane and dive mode (45 ° angle). The first is used to destroy protected objects (such as bunker bunkers, etc.) and helicopters, the second mode, which allows you to hit a target from above, is designed for tanks. The rocket is launched with the help of an ejection propulsion system at an angle of 18 ° to the horizon, then, with the help of the main engine, an altitude climb occurs - 50 meters for a direct target attack or 150 meters for a dive mode. In flight, the missile is controlled by changing the thrust vector, which makes it possible to provide a sufficiently high maneuverability necessary to destroy targets from above at short ranges.
At the start of the rocket, the amount of propellant gases emitted is very small, which, together with the "soft" launch, allows the Javelin to be used in rooms with limited space.
As mentioned above, the aiming and launching device is equipped with a combined all-day sight, which can also be used to monitor the battlefield. The day sight is equipped with 4x magnification optics. The infrared night sight allows you to shoot at night and in poor visibility. The night sight provides a four- or nine-fold magnification, depending on the operating mode.
Shooting from ATGM "Javelin" is as follows. With the help of one of the scopes, day or night, depending on the situation, the operator observes the battlefield, selects and captures a suitable target, aligns the crosshair of the optical sight with the intended target, and then switches the missile to the seeker, which has a narrower field of view. After marking the target with the help of the cursor on the video screen and capturing the target of the seeker, the operator launches the rocket.
ATGM "Javelin" was exported for the armed forces of Spain (12 complexes), Taiwan (40 complexes, 360 missiles), the Netherlands (240 complexes), Jordan (30 complexes, 110 missiles).
