Why is Georgia acquiring Javelin ATGM? US-Georgian military cooperation is ready to reach new levels after Tbilisi is going to acquire a significant number of portable, anti-tank missile systems “Javelin”.
This is a very expensive and serious weapon that can be used not only against tanks but also against a number of low-speed and low-flying machines like helicopters, drones, and other fortified machinery.
Javelin ATGM: Analysis
Javelin is a US Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) which is portable, fire-and-forget system capable of destroying latest tanks and heavily fortified defenses. Javelin ATGM uses an automatic infrared guidance system as opposed to a traditional wired guided ATGM’s.
Javelin ATGM is a not cheap toy, the cost of one Javelin ATGM missile costs over a hundred thousand dollars. There are significant numbers of ATGMs in the world today and “Javelins” among them are one of the most sought after, and thus very expensive. The Javelin ATGM deal itself involves the purchase of 410 portable anti-tank missiles, 72 units of sighting and launching equipment, 10 training complexes worth a total of $ 75 million.
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This is a massive amount for a country like Georgia, however, the government believes that money spent is important on the holy cause of “protecting the sovereignty of the country.”
Responding to the fact of a possible deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry spoke rather sharply about its concern over what is happening, believing that pumping weapons in the CIS region is dangerous. “This is the first big-ticket US military deal with Georgia, since 2008.
At the same time, Washington reoriented its training program for Georgian peacekeeping force to prepare regular combat units. Russia regards this kind of military support from outside to Tbilisi as a dangerous adventure for the CIS region. Of course, the answer of the Georgian side did not take long. The members of the government and representatives of the ruling political party and the opposition said that the ATGM is a means of defense that is only intended to “strengthen the security” of Georgia.
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“The only goal of Javelin ATGM is to protect the sovereignty of our country. Arms of any type that we have acquired or will acquire in the future will be a weapon of only defensive nature.
