Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have formed a joint venture to market the Javelin medium-range anti-tank missile around the world. The missile is being offered to Germany, Britain, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan, but the primary target is the Netherlands, which wants 2500 missiles and 300 launchers. The Dutch had planned to buy the TRIGAT missile, but cut this back to 700 missiles after the program was found to be in deep trouble and may drop TRIGAT entirely since the British Army canceled its plans to buy TRIGAT. Javelin is competing with the Israeli SPIKE missile for the Dutch order. SPIKE beat the Javelin for the recent Finnish Army order, but the US is thought to have a good chance for the Dutch contract due to NATO connections and the continuing Javelin production line. The recent US Army contract for 12,000 Javelins has given a serious boost to the missile's market position, as this guarantees continued production, development, and support. Once a European country buys Javelin, the chances for more European sales improve. NATO members in particular are thought to prefer Javelin as their military forces could draw on US stockpiles in an emergency. --Stephen V Cole