Ukrainian Army Training To Adopt US Javelin Anti-tank Missile System

The Ukrainian army is preparing to adopt the US-built advanced anti-tank missile system, a senior Ukrainian military official said on Wednesday.

"The preparations for the use and the operation of the U.S. anti-tank missile systems ‘Javelin’ are already being held at the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Viktor Muzhenko, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, wrote on Twitter, Xinhua reports.

Last week, Ukrainian media reported that the army will train operators of the Javelin in the base of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy in Lviv city in western Ukraine.

According to the online media portal Ukrainian Military Pages, after an English language course in the Ukrainian university, select personnel will be sent abroad to receive training in the combat use of the Javelin.

The advanced fire-and-forget portable anti-tank missile system can attack tanks from above. It also has the ability to attack low-altitude helicopters and fortifications. It was first deployed by U.S. Army units in 1996.

Last month, the U.S. State Department announced the supplies of advanced weapons to Ukraine, angering Russia. The arsenal sale was reportedly to include Javelin anti-tank missiles, which Kiev had long desired.