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In May last year, Lockheed Martin announced that the JJV would The war has forced Ukraine to significantly
nearly double manufacturing of Javelin in the US from 2,100 units increase production of the ATGM. According
per year to 3,960 by 2026. With many countries depleting their own to Ukraine Minister of Strategic Industries,
inventories after donating ATGMs and other arms to Ukraine, it is Oleksandr Kamyshin, the country had qua-
unsure if the increased number would be enough to meet demand. drupled the production of Stugna-P ATGMs
Gen. Mark Milley, who recently retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs since the start of 2023. “In July, we produced
of Staff, said in June last year that the U.S. and its allies had sent 4 times more Stugna than in January. And we
97,000 Javelin missiles and other anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. are moving further in increasing production. No
Eager to replenish its own stocks, the U.S. Army awarded a contract matter how much we produce now, it will not
to the JJV in September last year for the delivery of more than 1,800 be enough.”
Javelins.
Ukraine has had some success finding interna-
tional customers for the ATGM. Skif, the export
Another ATGM that has had its reputation enhanced because of version of the Stugna-P, can be used in a vehi-
the ongoing conflict is Swedish manufacturer Saab’s Next gener- cle-mounted form and has been exported to
ation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW), more than 3,615 of which Saudi Arabia. Production of the Skif missiles in
were supplied to Ukraine by the United Kingdom after the Russian Turkey commenced in 2020 after a joint com-
aggression. Known as the ultimate tank killer, NLAW lived up to its pany was set up, but the ATGMs produced for
name in the early days of the ongoing war, with a senior Ukrainian export customers were delivered to Ukrainian
military officer stating that it was the “weapon of choice” for his armed forces in 2022 because of the ongoing
troops and was responsible for 30–40 per cent of the Russian tanks war.
destroyed. Armed with a powerful warhead that can defeat any
modern MBT, the shoulder-launched munition has a combat range A Range of Choices
of 20–800 meters. Weighing 12.5 kg, the missile’s engage time is
about five seconds. With demand spiking, companies are vying with
each other to introduce products with increased
Ukraine’s Pride range and lethality. At IDEF 2023, Turkish missile
maker Roketsan, which already has the UMTAS
Although not as high-profile a weapon as the Javelin, Ukraine’s and L-UMTAS ATGMs in its portfolio, show-
homegrown Stugna-P ATGM played a major role in destroying cased the new long-range UMTAS-GM ATGM,
Russian armored vehicles during the ongoing conflict. Developed by a dual-seeker weapon system that features
Luch design bureau, the laser guided ATGM, which has a maximum imaging-infrared (IIR) and semi-active laser
range of 5 km, was adopted by Ukrainian armed forces in 2011. A (SAL) seekers and a bidirectional radio frequency
much larger weapon than the Javelin, Stugna-P’s launcher and the (RF) datalink. The heaviest of the three UMTAS
missile weigh over 60 pounds each, necessitating a three-person variants, it can be used by airborne, naval, and
crew. Although not as advanced as the latest fire-and-forget type land systems. The UMTAS-GM, which is 1.72 m in
weapons, it is significantly more affordable than advanced weap- length, 160 mm in diameter, and weighs 41.3 kg,
ons like the Javelin at around US$20,000 per shot and can be used can be equipped with three warhead options
on lower-value targets like trucks and infantry. It is also capable of – insensitive tandem anti-tank, high-explosive
taking out low-flying, slow-moving aerial targets. blast fragmentation, or thermobaric. It can hit
targets up to 16 km when fired from land vehicles
or naval vessels, and up to 20 km when fired
from helicopters.

In September, Roketsan edged out four com-
petitors from South Korea and Malaysia to win
a contract to sell 108 Karaok ATGMs to Malaysia.
The system, which is the Turkish equivalent
of the Javelin, will come with six missiles for
each launcher. The Karaok system, which will
be deployed on Cendana Auto light armored
vehicles, will replace the Soviet-era Metis-M
fitted on four-wheel drive G-Wagen vehicles.
The ATGM officially entered the Turkish military’s
inventory in 2022, with the Turkish Army ordering
300 units of the system.

Malaysia is the first international customer
for the Man Portable Short-Range Fire-and-
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