REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (July 28, 2025) - It is a marquee program for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center, one that has been providing critical Soldier training for almost three decades.
Since 2000, the Javelin Basic Skills Trainer, or BST, has provided realistic, cost-effective training for the U.S. Army’s premier man-portable anti-tank missile system. Designed by the Center’s Software, Simulation, Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate to replicate the full operation of the Javelin Command Launch Unit in a simulated environment, the trainer gives Soldiers the opportunity to build proficiency in target acquisition, engagement and fire control in a classroom setting.
The Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Unit, or LWCLU, and the Javelin Block 1 Command Launch Unit CLU are both integral components of the Javelin missile system, used for anti-tank and multi-target engagements. The BST is a training system designed to simulate the operation of the Javelin CLU and missile system for soldiers, allowing them to practice target acquisition, tracking, and engagement without expending live ammunition.
The Center is completing work on the LWCLU BST, the newest iteration. Although it will be four pounds lighter and 35% smaller than its predecessor, the LWCLU BST will feature much more than just a new look.
"The handgrips and eyepieces have been completely redesigned,” said Angela Roden, S3I Javelin BST Portfolio Lead. “These improvements enhance usability for Soldiers while also lowering costs by avoiding the use of tactical-grade components. Additionally, the system is now lighter and compact enough to fit in a backpack. It remains a shoulder-mounted, 'fire-and-forget' weapon."
But just because the Javelin trainer is light, doesn’t mean it is simple.
“The trainer can be intimidating when you pick it up and try to shoot a target for the first time,” Roden said. “After a few repetitions, you can improve. The generations that have grown up playing video games are more tuned in and tend to do better.”
One of the many benefits of the trainer is that it can be conducted indoors and is not dependent on weather conditions or range availability, making it more accessible and efficient.
S3I maintains all sustainment for the Javelin BST – including training system hardware and software, associated design documentation, system repairs, inventory tracking and logistics. Which is no easy feat considering that the trainer today is operational in 30-plus countries – countries whose Soldiers might not have the opportunity to fire the real thing until needed. For them, the BST is the only training they will receive.
As the design authority for the Javelin Basic Skills Trainers, S3I is developing the next generation trainer alongside the development of the tactical system being developed by the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
“Maintaining S3I's design authority for the next generation Javelin Basic Skills Trainer offers a critical advantage for soldier lethality,” Roden said. “The concurrent trainer development, alongside the OEM developing the tactical system, ensures seamless integration and synchronized fielding of both trainer and system. Encompassing government-owned software, hardware, and sustainment packages, minimizes training gaps and accelerates soldier proficiency on the latest Javelin capabilities, maximizing their lethality upon fielding.”
Leveraging S3I's existing expertise and infrastructure for the latest generation of Javelin trainers provides a cost-effective and efficient solution, avoiding duplicated effort and potential delays, ultimately enhancing soldier readiness and battlefield dominance.
“They came to us because of our expertise in systems software engineering,” Roden said. “Twenty-five years later, that has not changed.”
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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, is Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM expertise spans eight major competency areas to provide integrated research, development, analysis and engineering support to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery – DEVCOM innovation is at the core of the combat capabilities American Warfighters need to win on the battlefield of the future. For more information, visit devcom.army.mil/.
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