The FGM-148 Javelin returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The Javelin appears in the level "Of Their Own Accord", where the player is ordered to snipe Russian soldiers armed with Javelin launchers. Shortly after, the player gets an opportunity to pick up a Javelin and destroy Russian armor and attacking Mi-28 gunships with it. The Javelin later appears in "Loose Ends", where Archer and Toad use them to destroy Ultranationalist vehicles.
A Javelin Launcher is available in the "Museum", but unfortunately the Javelin cannot lock onto any location or object inside the museum and therefore cannot fire.
Multiplayer[]
The Javelin is the second to last launcher obtained, being unlocked at level 50. It functions similarly to the Stinger. A short beeping noise will confirm when the player has a solid lock on anything they see when they aim down the sight. This effectively allows the player to fire in cover, providing there is enough room to fire the rocket. It can shoot down attack helicopters and UAVs in a single hit and the Pave Low in two, or sometimes even in only 1 if it tricks the Pave Low or if it has already deployed its flares. The Javelin can destroy enemy Harriers, although due to the size of the Harriers fuselage, the Javelin missile may miss and then turn and try to destroy the harrier in mid-air. If a Javelin missile is launched but is beaten to its target by, say, the faster Stinger missile and no other target remains, it will circle the area with sharp turns and then crash down on the level in a highly unpredictable fashion. Unfortunate players may find themselves committing suicide or team killing to no fault of their own. More fortunate players can be rewarded by a highly unexpected random kill on a target far beyond the line of sight. This risk (or chance, depending on which end of the missile the player ends up) is, for obvious reason, compounded on smaller levels.
However, it has a second function which the Stinger does not have: the Javelin is able to lock onto areas on the ground, effectively making it a sophisticated, shoulder-fired mortar. Once fired, the missile will fly upwards and hit the target area several seconds afterwards, unleashing a fairly large and lethal explosion, similar to, yet smaller than that of the Predator Missile killstreak. When used properly and tactically, a Javelin-user can fire at a safe range and hammer down on a group of enemies. Because of the nature of the weapon, it will always hit the target from above, so make sure the target has line of sight to the sky (in fact, this can even allow the player to hit locations that would normally be sheltered against launchers, such as walled-in rooftops, buildings with derelict roofs, or even skylights on Terminal). However, using Danger Close can increase the lethality of the explosion. It is worth noting that the delay between firing and impact is considerable, even a hindrance to reliably getting kills, so it is recommended to use it more as an anti-camp solution or against high traffic objectives like bomb sites or Domination flags. When firing the Javelin, however, the user must be careful to have enough vertical clearance as the rocket will fly forward a short distance then straight upwards. If there is a roof or overhang above and in front of the user, the Javelin will detonate, killing the user and enemies around them. Also an explosion will occur when the Javelin is fired uphill, as it will go straight forward before its ascent. Less frequently, some teams or single players will launch Javelin missiles at the start of a match on a specific area of a specific map or an objective in hopes of killing small or large groups of enemy players.
Contrary to popular belief, the Javelin does NOT lock on to enemy players. Many players believe in this concept, and either continuously scan the area with the Javelin (with no such target, or fire immediately once the beep is sounded, believing that they will secure a kill).
Unfortunately, while the Stinger missile comes with two missiles upon spawning, the Javelin only has one, making shooting killstreaks like the Pavelow and the Chopper Gunner more difficult since those require two missiles (the first missile to expend its defensive flares). The Javelin has an unusual loading behavior. A user can actually carry 2 missiles, one in reserve and one in the launcher. After spawning, the player's missile is actually in the reserve slot. Upon drawing the weapon for the first time, the missile is loaded into the launcher, opening the reserve slot. Additional missiles can only be acquired if the reserve slot is open. Because of this using Scavenger and the Javelin can be a little confusing. The player must draw the launcher and let the reload complete at least once to get a second missile. After firing, the Javelin will switch back to the primary weapon without reloading. This means that after firing the launcher, a reserve missile, if present, will NOT be loaded into the launcher by default which means the reserve slot will remain full, which means running over an ammo bag will NOT increase the user's missile count to two. The user must switch back to the Javelin, wait for the long load animation to complete, then run over the ammo bag to pickup the second missile. The Scavenger perk does NOT give the Javelin more starting ammo, however the player can run over Scavenger packs at the start to gain the extra rocket if needed.
It is recommended to check the surrounding area before you fire. Ensure that there is nothing above that will block your rocket and in turn causes you to commit suicide. Always move to somewhere high or the corner of the map to fire, so that there will be less obstructions. However, if doing random shots, this will decrease the chances of a kill.
The Javelin can be useful for different scenarios besides scoring random kills and destroying air support. In objective game modes like Demolition, one can get to a high point and use it on a bomb site if defenders are flooding to the area to disarm it. An example would be Highrise. Get to the top of the office building or the top of the crane outside the buildings and shooting it from there will give the player more space to shoot from and have a wider range of options to shoot the missile at. A map more suited for this would be Rust as the small, open areas and big lethal explosion radius increase the chance of a kill or two.
The Javelin can be highly lethal in Hardcore both because it kills more readily and because players tend to move less, giving the missile a larger time window in which to reach them, but it can also prove disastrous if the player does not take the risk of Team Killing into account. Once launched, the teammates of the player who launched the Javelin have no way of knowing where it is heading. They will have to rely on the player aiming it correctly in the first place and not targeting either where they are or where they are clearly heading. Pressing Start and checking the minimap ahead of firing is vital to avoid excessive fratricide.