TUCSON, Ariz. - The Czech Republic Army will use the Javelin weapon system in future battles, according to an export agreement by the U.S. government.

That means business for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, who manufacture the Javelin missile in a joint venture.

The Javelin medium-range missile system is the world’s first one-man-transportable and employable fire-and-forget, anti-armor missile system. The compact, lightweight Javelin is ideally suited for one-soldier operation in all environments (extreme cold, heat, and wet conditions that are indicative of mountain, desert, and jungle climates).

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The Czech Republic’s decision to purchase Javelin ensures its military’s interoperability with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Forces deployed worldwide. In addition to U.S. forces, Australia, Ireland, Jordan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom have selected Javelin.

Javelin has been particularly effective against enemy tanks, armored personnel carriers, bunkers and fortifications, according to recent engagement by U.S. Army, Marines, and Australian Army commandos, Raytheon says.

“With its sophisticated missile seeker and tracker, the lightweight, one-man-transportable Javelin has proven to be the soldier’s best means of engaging a full spectrum of target sets with well over 90 percent first-time gunner success rate,” says Mike Crisp, president, Javelin Joint Venture. “Additionally, Javelin has tremendous growth potential with the missile’s modular construction, Command Launch Unit (CLU) software enhancements and its adaptability to a wide range of platforms.”

Raytheon, which leads the joint venture, provides system engineering management and support for the Javelin joint venture and produces the CLU, missile-guidance electronic unit, and system software. Work is performed primarily at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz., and at other Raytheon facilities in Texas, Massachusetts, California, and the United Kingdom.

Lockheed Martin provides missile engineering and production support for the Javelin joint venture in Orlando, Fla., produces the missile seeker in Ocala, Fla., and performs missile all-up-round assembly in Troy, Ala. For more information, see www.raytheon.com.