Extracting an FGM-148 Javelin ATGM for application as a cumulative warhead on a UAV.
Extracting an FGM-148 Javelin ATGM for application as a cumulative warhead on a UAV.
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I wonder if this specific missile was damaged beforehand. Javelins are pretty good kit.
it better be, shaped charges are probably cheapest part of it (other than chassis)
CLU is like $250k by itself, missile is like $220k. And prolly like $200k of that missile price is what’s visible on the nose before the first hammer tap. Arri Alexa’s dream of growing up to be that camera lol.
That, or it’s a mistranslation/inaccurate description. Maybe they’re playing around with drone-launched javelins, which would honestly be pretty fucking rad.
I think there is good tactical reason for it and I trust these guys have been doing it long enough to not waste ordinance. I can think of at least one advantage for use with UAV which I won’t speculate on here in the incredibly unlikely event that I might be right.
As a former 0352, you need to fire the javelin from the CLU for any of the special javelin sauce to work. There is no “firing” of this missile in the traditional sense once it’s out of its tube. Firing it as intended would probably be the most effective option, however you need line of site to engage with that weapons system. Using a drone to deliver the explosive portion of the missile allows for Ukrainian troops to stay out of direct line of site bc drone, so while less materially effective, prolly way more effective in terms of Ukrainian lives which is what matters most.
Part of my soul is sad to know that little guy won’t be able to live out his *PHUNK* *KAWWWOOOOSSSHHHH* *KABOOM* dreams, but if he gets to kill some invaders, save some Ukrainians, and is happy then I’m happy. Better than getting teased by trying to bracket camels and taking bets on whether it would track.
I didn’t immediately recognise the mos so I googled and the first result is someone trying to ensure they get selected for it haha. I wouldn’t expect it to be fired from the drone but again I won’t guess why because others will speculate too and we’ll be crowd sourcing intel.
Part of my soul is sad to know that little guy won’t be able to live out his PHUNK KAWWWOOOOSSSHHHH KABOOM dreams
This had no right being as loud and satisfying as it was.
Better than getting teased by trying to bracket camels and taking bets on whether it would track.
This I would love to hear more about if you feel like it.
That last part means he was a bored soldier in the middle east, with no use for it, just playing with the tracking instruments.
Okay but hear me out. A remote CLU drone capable of giving the instructions.
Yeah - you fight with what you have. If what you have isn’t exactly what you need, you fuck around with it until it is. Battlefield exigencies trump “you’re doing it wrong”/“that’s not what it’s for”. If you’re in a life and death situation, and you really fucking need a hammer, and all you have is an iPad… well, the iPad becomes a hammer.
It does make me wonder though, if there is a need for just the warhead portion of these weapons and not always for the whole missile and launcher, if it might not make sense to get the manufacturer to just make some of the warhead bit by itself and send a delivery with a few of the systems replaced with the extra loose warheads, to use aid resources (and the time of whoever is taking the missile apart again) more efficiently.
Javelins are pretty good kit.
I mean there's a saint named after them.
And yeah it would seem crazy to sacrifice it if it wasn't damaged in fairness.
it would seem crazy to sacrifice it if it wasn't damaged
To be fair, the best kit you'll ever get is the right kit at the right time. If what you need is a tandem warhead that can track, hit and destroy pretty much any vehicle, or punch through a bunker, at anything from a couple hundred meters to a couple kilometres, and you have a Javelin... you're in luck! On the other hand, if what you need is a tandem warhead to destroy a static armoured target that you can't get line-of-sight to, and you have a Javelin... You're carrying a very expensive but useless rocket and tracking system that just happens to also contain the exact warhead you need.
Once a piece of equipment like a Javelin is in the field, it's only real value is in whether it can help you achieve your objective. Its dollar value seizes to be of relevance. The only relevant questions are "Do I have a large enough supply of this munition to prioritise using it for that target?" and "Do I have another munition that I can and should use instead?" If the answer is "yes" to the first and "no" to the second, you use the munition in whatever way is most practical.