Coronado, Calif. -- "Target acquired!" a Marine gunner yells out, as he slides the track out for the "A" gunner to load the FGM-77 Dragon Anti-Tank Weapon.
After the round is loaded the "A" gunner taps the gunner on the shoulder sounding off, "Back blast area clear!"
"Firing," replies the gunner.
During Amphibious Orientation Training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marines of 2nd Battalion 24th Weapons Company, Anti-Armor Platoon, of Waukegan, Ill., learned that the Dragon's onerous process was going to be simplified by its replacement.
They were introduced to the M-98A1 Javelin Medium Anti Armor System, which has been in use since August of 1999.
"The Javelin is much more effective in taking out the target and gives the gunner a higher survival rate," said retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Tom Chapman a field support technician for the M-98A1 Javelin.
The main mission of the Javelin crew is to assist in locating and destroying enemy tanks. Its secondary mission is to wipe out bunkers and obliterate hovering aircraft (mainly helicopters).
The Javelin has two parts, the Command Launch Unit and the Launch Tube Assembly. The CLU is the main component the operator uses to see, locate and track its targets. It is a reusable piece and is the most expensive. The LTA holds the single round and once fired is discarded after use, according to Chapman.
It can also travel 1,000 meters in 4.6 seconds, an improvement over the Dragon which takes 11.2 seconds to travel the same distance. In addition, it can travel twice the distance of its predecessor. While the round is in flight it is tracking and updating its information sixty times a second.
This system also has a soft-launch capability. It gives troops the ability to fire from a window while in an enclosed area, which is not recommended with the Dragon.
The Javelin gives Marines the ability to view a target at a magnification of x4 and x9. Three out of the four views allow the operator to see objects with infrared viewing. These different viewing styles help the Marine during lack of visibility, a night operation or when the target is too small, Chapman added.
The weapon system weights 49.5 lbs. and it is 0.8 lbs. heavier than the Dragon.
Due to its high cost Marines typically use two different Javelin training simulators. The Enhanced Productivity - Basic Skills Training and the Field Tactical Training piece. The EP-BST is a computer simulator designed to create wartime scenarios to train individual Marines on how to locate, lock on, fire at targets and trouble-shot problems that could take place while trying to launch a round.
The FTT is designed to be like the actual Javelin enabling Marines to take it out into the field and conduct simulated combat fighting using the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System on a firing range or a force-on-force scenario, according to Chapman.
"The FTT Javelin seems to be harder to use in training, but that helps us become better-equipped Marines for a combat scenario," said Cpl. David Concha of Headquarters and Services Company, 2nd Bn., 24th Marines, Chicago, Ill.
Every Javelin team consists of two men, the gunner and the "A" gunner. The gunner is the individual operating the CLU and the "A" gunner helps in attaching and detaching the LTA to the CLU. The primary mission of the "A" gunner is to provide security to the gunner while the target is being acquired and the fired upon.
"The Javelin seems to be 'high speed' compared to the Dragon," said Lance Cpl. Phillip T. Bohnenkamp, a Marine from 2nd Bn., 24th Weapons Company Anti-Armor Platoon.
This single-man portable, "fire-and-forget," medium-range antitank weapon is more effective than the discontinued Dragon, improvements that enhance a mission's chances of success and saves lives.