For clarity, in 1973 the Navy determined the following designations for the Harpoon family: A= air-launched, R=surface ship-launched, U=underwater-launched, G=surface-attack, M=Guided missile.īecause the air-launched variant (AGM-84A) does not have jettisonable solid propellant boosters, it is shorter and lighter than its surface- and underwater-launched cousins. Since its introduction in 1977, the Harpoon has received multiple upgrades to its hardware and software, resulting in many variants. 4 The Harpoon Block II, unveiled in 2009, features autonomous, over-the-horizon range, and can execute both land and air strikes. An extended response SLAM (SLAM-ER) first flew in 1997, doubling the SLAM’s range, as well as introducing Automatic Targeting Acquisition (ATA) technology. The air-launched Block 1 E (AGM-84E), known as the Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM), enabled the targeting of land-based assets.

An air-launched variant followed soon after, first equipped on the Navy’s P-3 Orion in 1979, and later on F/A-18 Hornet and B-52H Bomber, among other aircraft. 2īy 1977, the Navy had deployed the Harpoon as its basic antiship missile for fleet-wide use. Navy recognized a widening gap in their capabilities and contracted McDonnell-Douglas to begin the Harpoon missile program. Following the sinking of the Israeli destroyer Eilat in 1967 by Soviet-made Styx antiship cruise missiles, the U.S. Navy began developing an antiship missile designed to target surfaced submarines.īecause the missile would target “whales”-naval slang for submarines-the missile was designated the Harpoon. Navy personnel load an AGM-84D Harpoon missile onto a P-3 Orion. Navy A Harpoon missile test fired in the Philippine Sea. Harpoon at a Glance Originated from United States Class Subsonic Cruise Missile Basing Fixed-wing aircraft, surface ships, submarine Length 3.8 m (air launched) 4.6 m (ship- & sub- launched) Diameter 0.343 m Guidance Inertial, semi-active radar Payload 224 kg Warhead HE fragmentation Propulsion Turbojet, solid propellant Range 90 – 240 km Speed 0.85 Mach (High subsonic), 291.55 m/s Status Operational In service 1977 Range 250 km Homing / Seeker Active radar Launch weight 515.25 kg (air-launched) 690.8 kg (surface- & sub-launched) Operators United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, and Venezuela USS Coronado (LCS 4) launches a Harpoon Block 1C missile.

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