Javelin output nearly doubles as global demand rises

The Javelin Joint Venture has nearly doubled its annual All-Up-Round production capacity over the past two years, and has delivered the first of a new lightweight launcher to the United States Army, according to Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin is increasing output on its existing manufacturing line and through the missile’s supply chain partners, and is putting money into accelerating the long-lead parts and equipment that higher production rates require.

Rich Liccion, vice president of the joint venture and programme director for Javelin at Lockheed Martin, said: “By scaling our Javelin production line to meet increasing global demand, we’re extending Javelin’s legacy of performance excellence for years to come. Our increased output ensures that warfighters worldwide continue to rely on an anti-tank missile system that has delivered unmatched precision for over 30 years.”

The venture was awarded the largest single-year Javelin production contract to date in May 2025, a follow-on under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity production contract first awarded in May 2023.

All test stations critical to the ramp are due to be built by the end of this year, verifying that the missile and its subcomponents meet environmental, performance and functional requirements. Sixteen further test stations that duplicate essential capabilities will then be upgraded, modernising legacy equipment and sustaining production capability over the longer term.

The Lightweight Command Launch Unit is the next-generation launcher for the system, built to work with all current, past and future Javelin variants. Raytheon has invested $22 million in modernising the factory that builds it, at Tucson in Arizona, to increase speed and expand capacity, and annual production there is being increased in collaboration with the US Army.

Jenna Hunt Frazier, president of the joint venture and Javelin programme director at Raytheon, said: “Delivering the LWCLU into soldiers’ hands underscores our commitment to accelerating meaningful capability upgrades. Our investment in modernisation and production capacity ensures the Army can field this advanced launcher more quickly, giving soldiers better awareness and greater lethality on today’s battlefield.”

The new unit offers twice the target detection and recognition range of the launcher it replaces while cutting size by thirty per cent and weight by twenty-five per cent, with improved optics and a day and night surveillance capability.

Javelin is built by the joint venture between Raytheon at Tucson and Lockheed Martin at Orlando in Florida, which has produced more than 55,000 missiles and more than 12,000 reusable command launch units to date.