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Thales Javelin

1984 COLD WAR MODERN

The Thales Javelin Story

Since the advent of aircraft, war planners have been looking for effective ways to address these threats through airborne and ground means. Early solutions focused on airborne interceptors and ground firepower, which were eventually replaced by missiles, largely due to developments during the Cold War (1947-1991). The Javelin was developed by Thales Air Defence in the UK with this in mind, it exists as a portable short-range unit or as a special weapon system for airspace blockade.

The successor to the "Blowpipe" weapon system, it eventually entered service with the armed forces of Botswana, Canada, Malaysia, Peru, South Korea, and the British Army and Navy. It is known to have been used in the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989), the Falklands War (1982) (with poor results) and the Gulf War (1991).

Javelin requires at least one operator, the system components weigh 54 pounds, and the missile weighs 24 pounds - a total of nearly 80 pounds when loaded. It has an overall length of 4.6 feet and a launch tube diameter of 76 mm.

The portable version of the Javelin can only carry and fire one missile, while three missiles are used in the heavier static configuration ("Javelin LML") for repetitive firing and enhanced launch capability against low-flying aircraft. LML models can also be connected to vehicles for mobility.

The missile carries a high-explosive (HE) warhead weighing up to 6 pounds and can be detonated by impact/direct contact or proximity fuze. Propulsion is provided by solid rocket motors that allow the rocket to reach speeds of Mach 1.7 while tracking its target. Guidance is a SACLOS (Semi-Automatic Command Line of Sight) arrangement via radio frequency - the operator targets the weapon via a TV camera/magnifying optics (6x).

Accuracy is reduced when trying to target enemies behind smoke.

During British service, the Javelin was replaced by the "Starburst" system (on paper). This is again taken over by the "Starstreak" system.