The Army’s new Javelin
G-model remains under investigation after 2022 failed launch
Meanwhile, the Army is eyeing accelerated production of its
Lightweight Command Launch Unit in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON — Development and
flight testing of the Army’s future Javelin G-model has been paused for months
following a test failure last year — and will remain paused indefinitely, as
the service has yet to identify the cause of the issue, Breaking Defense has
learned.
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon’s Javelin Joint Venture is under contract to develop the new missile, to be formally designated the FGM-148G, that includes a new disposable launch tube assembly, electronic battery unit, guidance electronics unit, and missile seeker. But testing ground to a halt last year when a missile “experienced a failure” during a contractor-led confidence flight, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) revealed in the annual report released last month.
In response to questions, the
Army this week confirmed that an investigation is still underway to figure out
what caused the anomaly and testing has not resumed.
“The Army is actively pursuing a
root cause identification in coordination with the contractor,” a spokesman for
the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Missiles and Space wrote in an
email on Thursday. “Initial review has identified likely contributors to
the anomaly, but further investigation is required to validate the root cause
and provide a corrective action.”
The Army spokesman did not
provide additional details about the nature of the test failure and
spokespeople for the joint venture did not immediately respond to Breaking
Defense’s questions. However, the Army said that as soon as corrective actions
are implemented and verified through follow-up testing, the testing program
will resume. New missile development is expected to continue over the next
three years and if the Army deems qualification testing as a success, then
production will begin, according to the DOT&E report.
The Army spokesman also noted
that Javelin G-model testing delays are not affecting plans to ramp
up Javelin production of earlier versions of the
missile, an initiative underway to support Ukraine’s military with the
shoulder-launched weapon and refill US stockpiles.
Javelin G-model development is
one part of the Army’s Javelin Antitank Missile System – Medium upgrade effort
for a man-portable, shoulder-launched, fire-and-forget system designed to
strike armored vehicles out to 2,500 meters. The second line of effort involves
the development of a reusable Lightweight Command Launch Unit (LW CLU), which
appears to be going more smoothly than the Javelin effort.
“The CLU mechanically engages the
[launch tube assembly] for shoulder firing, has day and night sights for
surveillance and target acquisition, and electronically interfaces with the missile
for target lock-on and missile launch,” DOT&E explained in its publicly
available fiscal 2022 report on weapon development programs.
ISR-as-a-Service will
let the Army see more, farther, and persistently at every echelon
ISR at standoff distances that counters near-peer
capabilities demands sensors with greater range, more varied types of sensors
for detection, and the ability to quickly swap them out as threats evolve.
From BREAKING
DEFENSE
According to the DOT&E
report, the LW CLU incorporates “modern” daylight and infrared camera
technology in a smaller and lighter form factor, and it will be compatible with
the G-model missile and previous iterations too.
Efforts to equip Ukrainian forces
with the shoulder-launched weapon have “accelerated production of the LW CLU,”
the Army spokesman said. He noted that the service wants to make a production
decision around the January-March 2024 timeframe in order to begin fielding the
new LW CLU in fiscal 2025. Although development of the Javelin G-model and LW
CLU are linked, each is not dependent on the other since the LW CLU can fire legacy
missiles and the Javelin G-model can be fired from legacy launchers.
Leading up to that decision
point, the service plans to conduct two operational tests this year – one at
its Cold Region Test Center in Ft Greely, Alaska and another at Yuma Proving Grounds,
Ariz.
So far though, DOT&E said the
LW CLU’s “better camera resolution and higher zoom capability” enables it to
better detect, recognize, and identify “threat vehicles” quicker and, possibly,
at greater distances than the older Block 1 CLU.
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