India has finalised an agreement with the US to purchase Javelin anti-tank missile systems for the Army, with prospects of the weapon being co-produced in the future through a joint venture between companies from the two countries.The decision comes nearly 17 years after the US first proposed selling Javelin to India and showcased it during a joint military exercise at Babina, near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. The missile is fired by ground troops to target tanks, armoured vehicles and fortified enemy positions at a range of up to 5 km.In military parlance, the Javelin system is classified as a “medium-range, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)”. The operating crew can literally “shoot and scoot” as the missile tracks the target on its own after launch. “It automatically guides itself to the target after launch,” say the missile’s manufacturers, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.The Army currently uses a mix of indigenous, French, Israeli and Russian-origin ATGMs, each offering varied capabilities.The decision to acquire an ATGM from the US comes months after the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) cleared the sale of Javelin to India in November last year. The US State Department had approved a $45 million deal for 100 Javelin missiles, one fly-to-buy round, 25 command-launch units, training aids, simulation rounds, spare parts and full lifecycle support.In a statement today, the US Embassy in New Delhi welcomed the Indian Army’s signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for the purchase of Javelin missiles. “The signature also opens discussions on mutually beneficial co-production and additional opportunities to strengthen the defence industrial bases of both countries,” it said.While the embassy did not elaborate on potential manufacturing arrangements, the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) announced in February last year that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a Government of India enterprise.US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the Javelin agreement demonstrated the depth of the US support for the Indian Army and created new opportunities for defence industries of both countries to work together. “This agreement reflects a defence partnership that is growing deeper, more capable and more consequential,” Gor posted on X. The Javelin system is used by the US Army, its Marine Corps and numerous international customers.