A Ukrainian military serviceman holds the FGM-148 Javelin, a U.S. portable anti-tank missile, at a checkpoint where they occupy a position near Kharkiv on March 23, 2022.
Sergey Bobok AFP | Getty Images
TROYA, Alabama – One of the most effective US weapons in Ukraine’s fight against Russia comes from an unlikely location: a 4,000-acre complex nestled in the quiet forests of a city in southern Alabama.
In about 50 buildings that make up Lockheed Martin’s Pike County operations in Troy, Alabama, U.S. missile defense jewelry has been built and bred for battle.
President Joe Biden is due to tour the facility responsible for assembling Javelin, a portable armored weapon, on Tuesday afternoon. Since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine, Javelin has consistently topped Ukraine’s wish list. To date, the United States and its allies have transferred 5,500 Javelins to the Ukrainian government.
While in Troy, Biden will make remarks on US assistance to Ukraine so far and reiterate his call on Congress for more funding. Biden is seeking $ 33 billion in additional aid.
Javelin, the anti-tank weapon system “shoot and forget”, is designed to hit targets of nearly three miles and can be fired from the shoulder. During the conflict, Ukrainian forces used the Javelin system to strike at Russian tanks and artillery.
The system was co-produced by Lockheed and Raytheon and assembled in Troy.
Infantry soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, shoot with FGM-148 Javelin during a combat shooting exercise in Jordan on August 27, 2019. in support of Eager Lion.
U.S. Army Sergeant Leanne Hatch US Army
For the first time in 2019, the titan of defense opened to the media his heavily guarded complex in Troy, where he quietly assembled 190,000 missiles. These include the US THAAD or high-altitude terminal defense system, JASSM or a joint air-to-ground missile, along with Hellfire and Javelin missiles.
The process of opening the facility took more than a year for security approvals and was provided that no photographic or recording devices could enter the complex.
In Troy, the Javelin rocket comes to life in a windowless facility with slippery floors, high ceilings and neatly arranged baskets with electronic cables. This is where more than 50,000 classified missiles have been assembled and tested over the past 20 years before joining the US military’s colossal arsenal.
Biden’s latest $ 800 million military aid package, announced on April 21, the eighth such tranche of security aid, carries a US commitment of up to $ 3.4 billion since Russia’s invasion in late February.
Add Comment