The 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 4th Infantry Division fired a FGM-148 Javelin from a Stryker 8 x 8 wheeled Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) for the first time using the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station-Javelin (CROWS-J).
This was the first time that the FGM-148 Javelin using the CROWS-J had been fired outside of testing. It also provided an opportunity to test the system outside of simulated training.
The US Army states that the CROWS-J allows soldiers to fire the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile from within the vehicle, allowing for on-the-move target acquisition and engagement.
Captain Jacob Poag, operations officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd SBCT, 4th Infantry Division said:
“We are taking the opportunity to fire 12 Javelins today, which will get six crews across the brigade to fire.”
“There are portions of training you can’t get in a simulation that you can only get by firing a live missile. It’s incredibly important for the brigade to make us a lot more lethal by firing today.”
“We have the ability to fire about 100 dismounted Javelins during any kind of training mission or [if we are] to be deployed. The addition of the CROWS-J gives us double that, making us very lethal in the anti-tank realm.”
Specialist Jerett Vermeis with 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd SBCT, 4th Infantry Division said:
“We are now the most lethal force there is. We are ready for whatever the nation needs us for.”
