[Global Issue+] The 'Javelin' Missile: From Burden to Ukraine's Guardian Saint

Russia destroys 280 tanks, main weapon in Ukraine defense
Russia, a 5th generation new tank powerhouse, actually faces domestic tank shortage
US and Western countries including Europe face emergency in Javelin stockpile replenishment

[Image source=SaintJavelin.com]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Among the weapons that have made the greatest contribution to Ukraine's successful defense against Russia's invasion is the anti-tank weapon 'Javelin,' provided by the United States and Western countries. Both the Ukrainian military and civilians have even described it as a 'Guardian Saint (Suho Seongin).'

In fact, the Javelin was considered an outdated weapon on the verge of retirement in the U.S. and Western countries due to the development of the latest 5th generation tanks, but its effectiveness has been newly highlighted in this war. It is known that this is partly due to budget and equipment shortages and procurement issues caused by corruption within the Russian military, which has long dominated as a tank powerhouse.

From a Burdensome Weapon to 'Saint Javelin'

FGM-148, commonly known as the Javelin missile, launch scene
[Image source= U.S. Army website]

According to CNN on the 2nd (local time), the so-called 'Saint Javelin' fundraising campaign, started by Ukrainian-Canadian Christian Boris to support the Ukraine war relief fund, has raised $1 million (about 1.2 billion KRW) worldwide in just one month. Saint Javelin is a fundraising campaign that creates and sells stickers featuring an image of Mary Magdalene, a saint from the Christian Bible, holding a Javelin missile, with the proceeds going to the Ukraine relief fund.

Currently, in Ukraine, the Javelin missile is depicted as a guardian saint protecting the country from the Russian invasion, and the Javelin launcher is called the 'Saint's Magic Wand.' In fact, during this war, the Ukrainian military has reportedly destroyed more than 280 Russian tanks using Javelins provided by the U.S. and the West. Including armored vehicles and supply trucks, it is estimated that over 1,300 Russian military vehicles have been destroyed.

The unit price of a Javelin missile is about $80,000 (approximately 100 million KRW), and considering that the price of a Russian tank ranges from about 4 billion to 10 billion KRW, the Russian military has suffered enormous losses. Western intelligence agencies were reportedly very surprised by these results. They had not expected that the Javelin missile, already considered an outdated weapon nearing retirement, would destroy so many Russian tanks.

Russia Brings Only Old Tanks Due to Financial Issues... Destroyed by Javelin

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The official name of the Javelin missile is the 'FGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Missile.' It is a weapon developed nearly 40 years ago, starting in 1985 by the U.S. Department of Defense in collaboration with defense contractors such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and deployed in combat since 1996. It was already considered a weapon nearing retirement in the U.S. and Europe.

Since the 2000s, the latest 5th generation tanks have been equipped with 'Active Protection Systems (APS)' that can detect and intercept anti-tank weapons like the Javelin in advance. Russia was the country that developed and led the advancement of this technology, so before the war, there was little expectation that the Javelin missile would have such a significant effect.

However, the situation changed after the war began. Russia launched its invasion with a large number of old Soviet-era tanks without APS installed, allowing the Javelin to be highly effective. The Ukrainian military estimates that the Javelin's tank kill rate on the battlefield exceeds 90%.

The reason the Russian military could not deploy the latest tanks is believed to be budgetary constraints. According to the BBC, the latest tanks such as Russia's T-90 and T-14 Armata, expected to be at the forefront of this war, have rarely been seen on the battlefield. These tanks, known to cost over 10 billion KRW each, are not held in large numbers by the Russian Ministry of Defense due to their high price, making deployment decisions difficult.

Fierce Competition for Javelin Acquisition in the U.S. and Europe... Production Expansion is Key

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The U.S. and Western countries now face the need to significantly increase production of the Javelin missile, which had been treated as a burdensome weapon until recently. The Javelins sent to the Ukrainian military are rapidly being depleted, necessitating large-scale additional support.

According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Defense has recently placed additional orders with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for Javelin missiles and has requested expansion of production lines. Currently, the annual production volume of Javelins in the U.S. is about 6,000 units, but Ukraine requires more than 500 units per day, putting inventories at risk of shortage.

Since the war began, the U.S. and the West have supplied over 17,000 Javelin missiles to Ukraine, most of which have been used up within a month of the conflict. Additionally, Eastern European countries such as Poland, the Baltic States, and Romania, having witnessed the effectiveness of the Javelin, are also competing to provide and order Javelin missiles, making inventory and additional production capacity key challenges going forward.