The US Approves Possible Sale of Javelin Missiles to Tunisia
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the U.S. Department of State has decided to approve a Foreign Military Sale to the government of Tunisia for Javelin Missiles and related equipment worth an estimated $107.7 million. According to the agency, the required certification and related documents announcing the potential sale were delivered to the US Congress on December 03, 2024.
The potential sale includes 184 Javelin FGM-148F missiles (including four fly-to-buy missiles for testing) and 30 of the latest Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LWCLU). Other essential aspects of the package include missile simulation rounds, Javelin support equipment, tools, publications, power and distribution equipment, parts, logistics, and program support.
According to the DSCA, “The proposed sale will improve Tunisia’s long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity to meet its national defense requirements. Tunisia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.” The agency also stated that the proposed sale would not change the basic military balance in the region.
The Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation, will be the primary contractor for the deal. The US government or contractor representatives are not required to travel to Tunisia to successfully execute this potential sale.
The Tunisian Armed Forces currently use American-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles and the French-German joint-production MILAN second-generation guided anti-tank missiles. The North African country received both of these systems in several batches from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
If the US Congress does not appeal the State Department’s decision, Tunisia will add the most advanced production version of the Javelin to its existing anti-tank arsenal. This will allow the Tunisian Army to retire some of its older anti-tank weapons while significantly increasing the Army’s striking power with the Javelin, which is widely regarded as one of the most capable anti-tank missiles on the market.