U.S. contracts Javelin missiles worth $1.3B, including thousands for Ukraine - media

The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin and Raytheon a $1.3 billion contract to manufacture Javelin missiles, making it the largest one-year order for missiles to date.

This was reported by the Voice of America, Ukrinform saw.

The manufacturers say the deal involves the purchase of Javelin man-portable anti-tank missile systems and production support for the U.S. military. Javelin All Up Round (AUR) production is expected to increase to 3,960 per year by the end of 2026, according to the report.

More than 4,000 Javelin missiles from that contract will be transferred to Ukraine to replenish the stocks.

Read also: U.S. preparing new $125M military aid package for Ukraine - AP

Lockheed Martin and Raytheon said the contract is part of a May 2023 deal to deliver Javelins and related equipment and services. The multi-year contract, which could be worth up to $7.2 billion, lays down the production of an unspecified number of missiles between 2023 and 2026.

The vast majority of U.S. aid packages include Javelin missiles, with the most recent package announced on August 23 having more than 10,000 Javelin systems supplied.

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The first batch of Javelin missiles arrived in Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion and was actively used in close combat against Russian armored convoys. After that, Russian tanks largely remained beyond the Javelin range so Ukrainian forces have been stocking up on these valuable weapons.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the U.S. administration intends to allocate a new package of defense support to Ukraine in the amount of $125 million.