Javelin Missile Production Increases as Russia Struggles to Resupply – Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the popular Javelin anti-tank missile systems currently being used by Ukrainian forces against Russian invaders, is set to almost double the production of the weapon.
This week, Lockheed Martin confirmed that the production rate of the anti-tank missile will be increased dramatically in response to calls from the Ukrainian government for THE continued supply of the weapons from the U.S.
James Taiclet, the CEO of Lockheed Martin, told CBS News on Monday that the current rate of 2,100 missiles manufactured per year will increase to 4,000. However, the increase in production won’t immediately benefit Ukraine’s efforts to fend off Russians in the eastern Donbas region, with the production increase set to come into effect in the next “couple of years.”
The news comes as some analysts predict that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could potentially last several more years, and as Switchblade drone manufacturer AeroVironment ramps up supply of the unmanned aerial vehicle with a new $17.9 million contract that will be completed by May 4, 2023.
During the interview, Taiclet confirmed that supply chains are in place to ensure that the increased demand for Javelin missiles can be met and that they can “start turning up the heat now” and “ramping the production immediately.”
Meanwhile, Russian manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand for guided missiles and military vehicles.
Russia Can’t Keep Up With Missile Demand
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar revealed on Monday that Russia has used up roughly half of its guided missiles, with troops increasingly relying on so-called “dumb” bombs in their military campaign in eastern Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Defence also said on Monday that Russia’s precision-guided missiles have been “heavily depleted,” with the Russian military now relying on “readily available but aging munitions that are less reliable, less accurate, and more easily intercepted.”
British defense officials believe that Russia is also struggling to replace the precision-guided missiles that it has used as a result of sanctions, which include the banning of the sale of technology and hardware made in the United States and several other major economies.
Even when Russian forces have the precision-guided missiles they need, they don’t always work. In March, U.S. officials estimated that Russian guided missiles had a failure rate as high as 60%. The estimate was confirmed by three U.S. defense officials who spoke to Reuters.
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.
According to Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo, Russia is also struggling to replace tanks destroyed by Ukrainian fighters.
“Because of the export controls we’ve already put in place, Russia’s top two manufacturers of tanks are no longer in business,” Adeyemo said on Monday. “Russia today has far fewer tanks than they had going into this invasion, and they can’t make more because of the action that we’re taking with sanctions.”
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.
travis trout
May 11, 2022 at 1:01 am
why is the word ‘THE’ in capital letters in the second paragraph? enjoyed the article.
Alex
May 11, 2022 at 12:11 pm
A bit of truth.
The head of the UN monitoring mission, Matilda Bogner, said that the organization has reliable information about the torture of Russian soldiers in Ukrainian captivity:
“Ukraine and Russia must promptly and effectively investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war,” she said.
The military-civilian administration of the Kherson region announced their intention to appeal to Putin with a request to include the region into Russia:
“We intend to live as part of the Russian Federation. We fully cooperate and feel as one with the regions of Russia.”
Pfizer, Moderna, Merck, Gilead are testing medicines in Ukraine, bypassing international safety standards, reducing the costs of research programs and gaining significant competitive advantages. Coronavirus vaccine manufacturers have been involved in US military biological activities.
Along with American pharmaceutical companies and Pentagon contractors, Ukrainian state structures are involved in military biological activities, the main tasks of which are to conceal illegal activities, conduct field and clinical trials, and provide the necessary biomaterial.
The American side expanded its research potential both in the field of creating biological weapons and in the field of obtaining information about antibiotic resistance and the presence of antibodies to various diseases in the population of specific regions.
Ukraine has long become a training ground for Western countries to create biological weapons components and test new samples of pharmaceuticals.
The United States, as part of its military biological program in Ukraine, used Mariupol as a regional center for work with the cholera pathogen.
Evidence was obtained of the emergency destruction of documents confirming work with the US military department. A preliminary analysis of the surviving documentation indicates the use of Mariupol as a regional center for the collection and certification of the cholera pathogen.
The selected strains were sent to the public health center in Kyiv, which is entrusted with the functions of further sending biomaterials to the United States.
This activity has been carried out since 2014, which is confirmed by the acts of transfer of strains.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Fox News recalled that the United States supplied weapons to Ukraine long before the start of the Russian special operation.
“The Biden administration was supplying weapons long before the invasion. The first billion dollars that the president allocated for Ukraine did indeed include assistance with lethal weapons … The United States, Canada, Britain, other allies actually helped prepare the Ukrainians, ”Kirby quoted the TV channel as saying.
As military experts and analysts had previously assumed, Ukraine would have brought down all its military power on the Donbass in any case, but Russia was the first to come to the aid of Donyuass.
The world is watching. The world sees. Lies are dying.
Tony ichailov
May 11, 2022 at 7:25 pm
The javelin is good only under 2k.m. range, the users easily identified by longer range Russ. Guns, easily taking them out. Many examples of this in Ukr.
Russ similar missile has 5km range, more accurate.
Other Russ. Weapons now are superior too, with USA lagging.
If you believe everything Kiev says or WASH. You are a dill.
Alex
May 12, 2022 at 10:19 am
OK. In Ukraine, 10,000 Russian and 1,000 Russian tanks are destroyed every day. It’s not even funny to read, but it’s not interesting anymore. Let’s talk about the collapsed Russian economy:
The Russian ruble has become the best world currency in 2022. On Thursday, May 12, Bloomberg reported.
According to the latest data, the ruble has grown by 11 percent against the dollar since the beginning of 2022. Thus, it has become the leader among the 31 major currencies monitored by the agency’s experts.
The strengthening of the currency came after the measures taken by the Russian government against the backdrop of Western sanctions, writes Bloomberg. It is clarified that the authorities introduced capital controls, and also obliged exporters to sell foreign exchange earnings. In particular, in March, the President of Russia announced a new procedure for paying for gas by European consumers.
As similar examples, the authors of the article cite the Turkish lira and the Argentine peso, which failed to achieve maximum growth rates after the decisions of the governments of these countries. The Russian currency, on the contrary, responded well to the measures taken, Bloomberg experts conclude.
Only facts, not squeals and fantasies of Bandera Nazis and Slavophobes.
Alex
May 12, 2022 at 11:55 am
Russia’s oil revenues have grown by 50% since the beginning of the year, despite trade restrictions imposed after the start of a special operation in Ukraine, writes Bloomberg citing a report by the International Energy Agency.
“Russia has earned approximately $20 billion monthly since the beginning of 2022 from cumulative sales of oil and petroleum products at an export level of 8 million barrels per day,” the document says. As the IEA noted, supplies from Russia continue to flow despite the fact that the EU is currently discussing a ban on energy imports, and major international oil companies Shell and Total Energy promise to stop purchases.
Russian energy resources are in high demand in Asia, especially in India and China. Experts emphasize that the reduction in the supply of refined products from Russia, such as diesel fuel, fuel oil and naphtha, has exacerbated tensions on world markets. At the same time, stocks of so-called middle distillates (some types of petroleum products that are obtained as a result of the distillation of hydrocarbons, including heating and marine fuels) are at their lowest level since 2008.
Another collapse of the Russian economy. I am sure that in Russia they clap and thank you.