The US Army awarded Kratos Defense a contract to develop, manufacture, and test a next-generation infrared guidance seeker for the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile system. According to the developer, the new seeker replaces obsolete microelectronic architecture while maintaining the platform’s core fire-and-forget engagement mechanism. The upgrade replaces internal hardware components to ensure long-term production viability rather than extending engagement range through sensor enhancements.
Development and manufacturing operations will take place at the Kratos Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center in Birmingham, Alabama, prior to US Army qualification testing. While the joint venture between Lockheed Martin and RTX retains overall system development, production, and support responsibilities, Kratos will handle seeker manufacturing. The supplier addition comes as Lockheed Martin expands missile production capacity from 2,100 to 3,960 units annually by late 2026 to restore stockpiles depleted by transfers to Kyiv, which received over 10,000 Javelin rounds.
Parallel modernization efforts across anti-armor capabilities include a $271 million contract awarded to Raytheon for continued production of TOW-2B anti-tank missiles. The seeker replacement for the Javelin system, which entered operational service in 1996, aims to secure component availability for specialized combat scenarios where autonomous infrared tracking and operator mobility offer operational advantages over lower-cost alternative munitions.
