In order to reduce human casualty, several countries led by the USA are developing a number of robotic weapon systems which will reduce exposure of troops to enemy fire. As part of another such weapon system development, the The Javelin Joint Venture team, which is JV between Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin test fired the first Javelin missiles from a Kongsberg remote launcher mounted on a Titan unmanned ground vehicle. The Titan is built by QinetiQ North America and Milrem Robotics.

The Javelin is a versatile one-man-portable and platform-employed anti-tank and multi-target precision weapon system. The Javelin Joint Venture team has produced over 45,000 Javelin missiles and 12,000 command launch units. The US and allied armed forces have used this missile in more than 5000 engagements across Iraq and Afghanistan. The system is a standard fit on US and NATO 8X8 Stryker vehicles.

Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president said, ” Javelin is ready to support emerging military robotic vehicle requirements. Remotely operated technology like this protects soldiers in battle.”

As per David Pantano, Javelin Joint Venture vice president, ” Javelin offers true fire-and-forget engagements to 4 kilometers in most operational conditions. Once the launch command is issued, soldiers and vehicle assets like the UGV can reposition out of harm’s way. These tests demonstrated our ability to evolve Javelin capabilities to address new missions in support of the warfighter.”

Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. It employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.” Its joint venture partner, Raytheon Company is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts . In 2018 It had revenues of $27 billion and employed 67,000 people. It is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. Raytheon has a history of innovation spanning 97 years. It provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I® products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries.

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