The US Department of State has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of FGM-148 Javelin missiles, lightweight command launch units (LwCLUs), and more to Ireland. The deal has an estimated total cost of $46m.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has officially notified Congress of the potential sale, which involves the Javelin Joint Venture between Lockheed Martin and RTX as the prime contractors.
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The proposed sale is aligned with US foreign policy and national security objectives, supporting Ireland’s role in peacekeeping missions and Nato’s Partnership for Peace programme.
It aims to bolster Ireland’s defence capacity without impacting the regional military balance.
The Government of Ireland aims to purchase 36 LwCLUs to complement a previous FMS order.
The original deal, which fell below the congressional notification threshold, included 44 FGM-148 Javelin missiles and was valued at $8.7m, with $7.9m designated as major defence equipment (MDE).
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By GlobalDataThis new notification covers a combined total of 44 Javelin missiles and 36 LwCLUs.
The Javelin system can be deployed and fired in under 30 seconds, with reloads taking less than 20 seconds.
Mounted on the CLU, the missile is aimed by the gunner using the CLU’s sight, aligning a cursor box over the target image.
The LwCLU features enhanced infrared and daylight camera technology, offering improved performance in a more compact and lightweight design.
Also included in the proposed sale package are non-MDE items such as missile containers, US technical assistance, training, and related logistics and programme support, among others.
Currently, there is no offset agreement associated with the sale, which may be subject to future negotiations between Ireland and the contractors.
Last year, the US approved a $100m sale of 350 Javelin missiles to Australia, highlighting strengthened defence ties between the allies.
