India Signs Deal to Acquire 60 US Javelin Anti-Tank Missiles

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Key takeaways

India signed a ₹292-crore deal with the US to acquire 60 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles through the Foreign Military Sales route.
The acquisition under EP-6 fills critical anti-armour operational gaps following Operation Sindoor.
In January 2026, DRDO successfully flight-tested the indigenous MPATGM with top-attack capability at KK Ranges, Ahilya Nagar.

India signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) with the US for a ₹292-crore deal to buy 60 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles. This deal uses the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.
This purchase provides immediate operational capacity. At the same time, India is developing its own Man-Portable ATGM (MPATGM) to replace old Milan-2T and Konkurs systems.

The Javelin is a shoulder-fired, medium-range anti-tank missile made for infantry soldiers on foot.
It uses fire-and-forget technology with an imaging-infrared seeker. Soldiers can leave the site immediately after firing to avoid enemy counter-fire.
The missile features a soft launch mechanism that clears the launcher before ignition. This allows troops to fire safely from enclosed spaces like bunkers.
It weighs around 22 kg and hits targets effectively between 2.5 to 4 km.
Global forces have battle-tested this weapon in major conflicts across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
The Javelin Joint Venture, formed by US defence companies Lockheed Martin and RTX, manufactures the weapon.
This deal strengthens the U.S.-India Major Defence Partnership and creates opportunities for future co-production.

India secured this deal under the 6th tranche of Emergency Procurement (EP-6). This system allows the armed forces to buy equipment up to Rs 300 crore quickly.
The military expects deliveries of the missiles by the end of fiscal year 2026-27.
The purchase aims to fill operational gaps in anti-armour capabilities along forward borders after Operation Sindoor.

DRDO is creating the indigenous MPATGM to replace the army's older Milan-2T and Konkurs missiles. India also bought Spike-LR missiles in 2019 for emergency needs.
In January 2026, DRDO tested the third-generation MPATGM with top-attack capability against a moving target at KK Ranges, Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra.
The missile uses local technologies like an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker, electric control systems, and a tandem warhead.
Soldiers can fire it from a tripod or a vehicle. Its seeker works day and night to destroy modern main battle tanks.
Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) serve as production partners to help induct the system into the army.