Anti-Tank Missile Gets Pricey

The Javelin anti-tank missile system is getting a workout in Iraq -- but in many cases, the missiles are staying in their launch tubes while soldiers use the Javelin command launch unit for battlefield surveillance and targeting. That's led to a demand for more launch units, boosting the program's total cost high enough to trigger congressional notification, InsideDefense.com reports.

The Javelin's reusable command launch unit features a "sophisticated sight device that allows troops to identify targets in adverse weather and to penetrate enemy countermeasures." But the sight has other uses, too.

*The CLU “has been used in a stand-alone mode for battlefield surveillance and target selection in recent conflicts,” according to the Army’s FY-09 Javelin budget justification document. *

Sources familiar with the status of the Javelin program ... say the unit cost increase is a distortion that can be traced to recent increased demand for CLUs. ...

According to a statement from the Javelin program office provided through an Army spokeswoman, “the CLU is the most expensive component of the Javelin weapon system. The procurement of only CLUs and training devices creates an abnormally high and artificial unit cost for the Javelin weapon system since ‘missiles’ are the specified unit of measure during this procurement cycle.”

(Photo: Lockheed Martin)