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The report, titled "Army Acquisition-Javelin Is Not Ready for Multiyear Procurement", opposed entering into full-rate production in 1997 and expressed the need for further operational testing due to the many redesigns undergone. The General Accounting Office (GAO), since renamed Government Accountability Office, published a report questioning the adequacy of Javelin testing. Contractor and government testing is combined into one integrated test program and conducted to determine if the performance requirements have been met and to provide data to the decision authority. It is performed in the factory, laboratory, and on the proving ground by the contractors and the government. DT&E is the government developing agency tool used to confirm that the system performs as specified and that the system is ready for field testing.ĭT&E is an iterative process of designing, building, testing, identifying deficiencies, fixing, retesting, and repeating. DT&E serves a critical purpose as it reduces the risks of hazards by testing selected high-risk components or subsystems. Results are also used to estimate the system's military readiness when it is introduced into service. The DT&E results are evaluated to ensure that design risks have been minimized and the system will meet specifications. It also ensures that the product is ready for government acceptance.
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It is used to reduce risk, validate, and qualify the design. Test and evaluation ĭevelopment test and evaluation is conducted to demonstrate the engineering design and development process is complete. In 1994, low levels of production were authorized, and the first Javelins were deployed with US Army units in 1996. In April 1991, the first test-flight of the Javelin succeeded, and in March 1993, the first test-firing from the launcher succeeded. The AAWS-M received the designation of FGM-148. In late 1988, the POP phase ended and, in June 1989, the full-scale development contract was awarded to a joint venture of Texas Instruments and Martin Marietta (now Raytheon and Lockheed Martin). In August 1986, the proof-of-principle (POP) phase of development began, with a US$30 million contract awarded for technical proof demonstrators: Ford Aerospace (laser-beam riding), Hughes Aircraft Missile System Group (imaging infrared combined with a fiber-optic cable link) and Texas Instruments (imaging infrared).
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In 1983, the United States Army introduced its AAWS-M (Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium) requirement and, in 1985, the AAWS-M was approved for development. ( February 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification. While the gunner aims and fires the missile, the ammunition bearer scans for prospective targets, watches for threats like enemy vehicles or troops and ensures that personnel and obstacles are clear of the missile's launch backblast. The missile system is sometimes carried by two soldiers consisting of a gunner and an ammunition bearer, although one soldier can fire it. The firing team may move as soon as the "fire-and-forget" missile has been launched, or immediately prepare to fire on their next target. This makes it harder to identify the launcher, though backblast from the launch tube still poses a hazard to nearby personnel. The missile is ejected from the launcher to a safe distance from the operator before the main rocket motors ignite – a " soft launch arrangement". The tandem warhead is fitted with two shaped charges: a precursor warhead to detonate any explosive reactive armor and a primary warhead to penetrate base armor. It is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker. It can reach a peak altitude of 150 m (490 ft) in top attack mode and 60 m (200 ft) in direct attack mode. The system takes a top attack flight profile against armored vehicles, attacking the usually thinner top armor, but can also make a direct attack, for use against buildings, targets too close for top attack, targets under obstructions and helicopters. Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance.
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