U.S. State Department approves $832M Javelin sale to Egypt

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible sale of up to 2,020 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 200 launch units to Egypt, a package estimated at $832 million that would give the Egyptian military the shoulder-fired weapon for the first time.

The approval, dated October 2 and sent to Congress as a formal notification, covers FGM-148F Javelin missiles, including 20 “fly-to-buy” rounds fired during lot acceptance testing, and up to 200 Lightweight Command Launch Units, the reusable sight and firing unit that soldiers attach to each missile tube. The notification does not mean a contract has been signed, and terms will still be negotiated.

The package also includes basic skills trainers, missile simulation rounds, battery coolant units, spare parts, system integration, technical documentation, training and U.S. government technical assistance.

Egypt has never bought the Javelin before, making this its first planned purchase of the weapon.

The Javelin is built by the Javelin Joint Venture of Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida, and RTX in Arlington, Virginia, the two principal contractors named in the notification. It is a fire-and-forget weapon: once the gunner locks onto a target and fires, the missile guides itself, and it can dive onto a tank from above, where armor is thinnest. The F-model carries a multipurpose warhead designed for use against both armored vehicles and other targets such as fortified positions.

The State Department said the sale would improve Egypt’s ability to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and would not alter the basic military balance in the region. It said Egypt would have no difficulty absorbing the weapons, that no additional U.S. government or contractor personnel would need to be assigned to Egypt, and that it was not aware of any offset agreement tied to the sale.

The Javelin would sit alongside the TOW, the vehicle-launched anti-tank missile Egypt already uses. In 2022, the State Department approved a $691 million sale of more than 5,000 TOW 2A radio-frequency missiles to Egypt.

Egypt has received several large U.S. approvals in recent years, including $740 million for Stinger air defense missiles in September 2024, $4.69 billion for Abrams tank refurbishment in December 2024 and $4.67 billion for the NASAMS air defense system in July 2025.

The Javelin approval was announced alongside two other Middle East packages: up to 10,000 APKWS II laser-guided rocket kits for the United Arab Emirates, estimated at $1.041 billion, and $400 million in Patriot missile repair and return services for Kuwait. Together, the three proposed sales total about $2.27 billion.