Ukraine's Javelins hit hard: Russian tanks in retreat

Forbes analyst David Axe suggests that the anti-tank guided missiles used with FGM-148 Javelin launchers are a significant challenge for the Russians attempting to displace Ukrainian forces. He references a Russian war blogger who claims that due to Ukrainian drones and anti-tank-guided missiles, "tanks can only operate from hidden positions."

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the Russian losses in the video resulted from just two days of operations by the 36th Marine Brigade in the Kursk region. Thanks to the FGM-148 Javelin, three tanks and four BMD-4 infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed.

The FGM-148 Javelin is a "fire-and-forget" system, meaning it does not need to be guided once fired. Its guidance head contains an infrared sensor that locks onto the target's thermal image. The missiles' range varies by launcher version. Older versions can strike at distances up to about 1.6 kilometres, while newer versions have a range of over 4.8 kilometres.

It is estimated that due to decisions by the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, around 10,000 anti-tank guided missiles compatible with FGM-148 Javelin launchers were sent to Ukraine, with several hundred likely received by Ukrainians.

A shooter using the FGM-148 Javelin has two operational modes. In the first mode, the missile strikes the target directly. In the second mode, the missile ascends 150 metres before descending on the target from above, allowing it to neutralize more heavily armoured targets.

In the initial weeks of the war, missiles launched from the FGM-148 Javelin inflicted significant losses on the Russians, notably as they advanced with armoured vehicles on a large scale. The current situation in the Kursk region demonstrates that this American equipment, known as the "tank destroyer," remains effective.