Raytheon and Lockheed have received $267-million in contracts for a full-rate production of the Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LWCLU) for the US Army and foreign military sales programs with Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
The LWCLU is part of the man-portable Javelin anti-tank weapon system used to survey and scan targets on sight.
Work for the contracts will be facilitated until 2028 by the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), a consortium between the Arizona and Florida-based companies.
“With these latest Javelin contracts, we will introduce the Javelin LWCLU to the US Army, US Marine Corps, and its allies,” JJV President and Raytheon Javelin Program Director Andy Amaro stated.
“Achieving full-rate production for the LWCLU is a significant milestone that will achieve cost efficiencies, reduce risk and, most importantly, accelerate delivery times.”
The Lightweight Command Launch Unit
The LWCLU’s latest iteration is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter while doubling target detection and recognition compared to its older architecture.
Users can utilize the device in day and night scenarios and with any variant of the shoulder-mounted weapon.
“The Lightweight Command Launch Unit is a cutting-edge deterrence solution that will allow for increased mobility when it’s needed most through the use of more efficient fire-and-forget technology,” JJV Vice President and Lockheed Martin Javelin Program Director Dave Pantano said.
“This full-rate production contract of LWCLU will allow the JJV to continue to provide next-generation capabilities to support global users’ current and future needs.”
Raytheon and Lockheed’s JJV is currently manufacturing the Javelin weapons at their facilities in Tucson and Orlando.
To date, the group has distributed more than 50,000 Javelin missiles and over 12,000 reusable command launch panels for different military customers.
Javelin Contracts With the US
JJV accepted a $1.3-billion contract in August to provide Javelin missiles for the US military and its allies.
The team received the primary contract worth $7.2 billion for this order in May 2023, which enables procurements through 2026.
In 2019, the JJV signed the first production contract of about 2,100 Javelins for the US and international customers. This was followed by a $19-million award in 2022.