India Plans to Buy Battle-Tested Javelin Anti-Tank System, US Envoy Says

The US State Department approved the sale of the FGM-148 Javelin weapon system to India in November last year in a move aimed at strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries.

“BIG news! India plans to buy the battle-tested Javelin anti-tank system. Just as US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth highlighted at the May 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, this is a great step forward in the US-India defence relationship and opens the door to co-production possibilities. The engagement between our two nations is at record-high levels,” Gor said in a post on X.

The missile system is already in service with the US Army and Marine Corps, as well as several international customers, the embassy added.

“The agreement creates new opportunities for the defence industries of both countries to work together. We see tremendous potential for future cooperation that strengthens the defence industrial bases of both countries,” Gor added.

It is not immediately known how many Javelin anti-tank guided missile systems India is procuring or the overall cost of the procurement. New Delhi also did not immediately comment on the agreement.

The Javelin is a portable anti-tank missile system jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and RTX for use against armoured targets. It is widely deployed by the US and allied forces.

The shoulder-fired system features an automatic guidance mechanism that allows the missile to track its target after launch, enabling the operator to take cover and avoid counterfire.

The Javelin hits the canopy of the tank from where people enter the cockpit, which is the least armoured part of the tank. It follows an inverted U-shaped trajectory from launch to impact to precisely strike its target.

The gunner selects the target using a cursor, after which the command launch unit sends a lock-on-before-launch signal to the missile. Its light weight allows troops to reposition after firing or reload to engage another threat.

Its soft-launch design also allows the system to be fired safely from enclosed structures, including buildings and bunkers.

The Javelin was developed and produced for the US Army and Marine Corps by the Javelin Joint Venture, involving Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida, and Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona.

US-India Ties

The development comes amid India’s expanding procurement of US defence equipment. In November 2025, the US State Department approved a potential USD 93 million sale to India covering up to 100 Javelin systems and 216 Excalibur guided artillery projectiles.

India is the world’s fifth-largest military spender and the second-largest arms importer after Ukraine, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. It already operates Excalibur ammunition with its M777 howitzers.

The United States and India signed a framework for a major defence partnership last year in October, aimed at strengthening interoperability across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

India has also acquired several US-made defence platforms, including Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and M777 howitzers.

The proposed Javelin procurement adds another US-origin defence system to India’s expanding inventory and creates new opportunities for cooperation between the defence industries of the two countries, including potential co-production.