Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) shown here in the hands of a soldier of the 5th. Detachment, Special Operations Center “Omega” was an absolute game changer during the opening months of the Russo-Ukrainian War which commenced on February 24, 2022. The weapon? The FGM-148 Javelin. The effectiveness was so great that it spawned the image of “Saint Javelin” (the Virgin Mary cradling a Javelin) and saw Russian tanks sprout the so-called “cope cages” (raised slat armor over the turret top) in a vain attempt to deal with the missile. Ukraine had received over 8,000 Javelin systems by February 2023 with the majority being delivered by the United States. The FGM-148 entered service with the U.S. military in 1996 and was the replacement for the M47 Dragon ATGM.
What makes the Javelin effective is two-fold. The first is that the missile is capable of using what is called a “top attack” engagement profile. This means the missile strikes the target from above. On most tanks, the armor thickness of the top of the hull (front and rear) as well as the top of the turret is thin and thus relatively easy to penetrate. The second is that the Javelin is a fire-and-forget weapon. Once the gunner obtains a target lock, upon launch, the missile guides itself to the target.
The Javelin is a two-part system. The main part, which is reusable, is the CLU (Command Launch Unit). The CLU is fitted with a day sight which provides 4X magnification but for night operation, the CLU has a 4X magnification thermal sight which is very sensitive to infrared radiation. The night sight also has a 12X magnification to enable the operator to identify the potential target. Once the target is identified and is to be engaged, the operator switches to a 9X magnification FOV (Field of View) for the missile's seeker. Here, the operator sets his aim and the target information is transmitted to the missile's guidance system. Once the operator sets the lock after depressing a launch trigger, the missile fires after a very short delay. The CLU has a weight of 14 pounds and a loaded missile tube is 35 pounds. The tube is single-shot and once fired, the CLU is detached from the spent tube and secured to a new one.
The 127mm missile uses a solid fuel rocket motor which permits an effective range of 1.6 miles when used by a dismounted tank hunter team (usually two men) or, if the launcher is mounted on a vehicle, up to 2.95 miles of effective engagement range can be achieved. The 19 pound, contact fuzed warhead consists of a tandem-charge HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) payload. The first charge is designed to defeat ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor), permitting the second charge to strike the target's armor underneath. The Javelin is said to be capable of penetrating at least 760mm of RHA (Rolled Homogeneous Armor) after ERA. This is well able to defeat nearly all modern main battle tanks. Though the Javelin often uses its top attack ability, it can be fired directly at targets such as fortifications or if a armored vehicle is too close to permit a top attack. Maximum altitude for a top attack is 490 feet and for direct attack, 200 feet.
