How One Javelin Operator Destroyed Six Russian Armored Vehicles In One Day – According to the Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform, one Javelin and NLAW operator from the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade destroyed six Russian armored vehicles in a single day.
In a Facebook post, the serviceman revealed how he was trained to use the Javelin missile system by U.S. soldiers in February, and since then he has used the weapon a total of nine times.
“I destroyed eight targets and damaged one,” he said. Those were three tanks, five armored personnel vehicles, and one multi-purpose light-armored towing vehicle.”
“I destroyed six of these targets in one day – March 3,” the soldier continued, adding that foreign anti-tank systems delivered to Ukraine are easy to use.
The post also said that Ukrainian forces would struggle to contain the enemy without the Western anti-tank weapons provided in successive military aid packages.
“After all, Russians have a lot of equipment and they spared neither hardware nor personnel at the beginning of the war,” he said. “And now, the situation is completely different.”
He added that Russian forces know that Ukraine has access to Javelins and NLAWs (Next-generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) and that they “fear them like the plague.”
“And this fear paralyzes them and undermines their morale,” the soldier said.
What is the Javelin?
Developed by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the FGM-148 Javelin missile system is the first shoulder-fired anti-armor system.
“Javelin automatically guides itself to the target after launch, allowing the gunner to take cover and avoid counterfire. Soldiers or Marines can reposition immediately after firing, or reload to engage another threat,” the official website explains.
A “fire and forget” design, the missile system does not require additional guidance after it has been fired. The missiles use an automatic infrared guidance system that allows the user to seek cover after launch.
How the Javelin Destroys Tanks
Javelin missiles are so effective at destroying tanks and armored vehicles for a few reasons. First of all, these missiles are designed to attack vehicles from above, meaning that they land directly on top of enemy tanks.
Javelin Missile. Image Credit – Creative Commons.
Image of Javelin anti-tank weapon. Image Credit: US Department of Defense.
Javelin anti-tank weapon. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Upon landing, the missile uses an explosive shape charge that penetrates the armor of the tank. The missile does this without actually detonating its main warhead.
Once it has broken through the armor, the main warhead is then detonated. It is substantially more powerful than the first blast. The secondary warhead injects superheated metal inside of the tank. This “tandem charge” system is accompanied by technology that allows the rocket to strike as soon as it knows it is over the most vulnerable part of the vehicle’s armor.
The Javelin missile can pierce virtually all tanks and armored vehicles in milliseconds.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
