Country: United States Of America
Missile Type: Anti-ship missile
Service Type: Yes
Washington DC (Washington Insider Magazine) — The Harpoon AGM-84 missile is an all-weather missile. It is an over-the-horizon and anti-ship missile that is manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The missile is now used in the Boeing Defense, Space & Security missions and projects. The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) was later transformed into the AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER.
How To Activate The AGM-84 Harpoon?
The regular Harpoon gets activated by using radar homing and flies that are located just above the water to evade defenses. The missile launch can be done from:
- Fixed-wing aircraft can be operated with the solid-fuel rocket booster
- Surface ships needed to be fitted with the RGM-84 to start operating. The solid-fuel rocket booster detaches when expended and allows the missile’s main turbojet to stay maintained during the flight.
- Submarines can activate the UGM-84 which is fitted with a solid-fuel rocket booster. It can also be encapsulated in a container and enables the submerged launch through a torpedo tube.
- Coastal defense batteries are used to operate the missile. It can be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster.
Recent Use In Battlefield
In late May 2022, Denmark used the Harpoon launchers and missiles to Ukraine. It was a move made to help Ukraine in its war effort. Shortly after the Netherlands sent additional missiles that included the AGM 84 Harpoon as well.
In mid-June 2022, the US announced that they would be supplying Ukraine with Harpoon launchers and missiles. The UK Defence Secretary also revealed that they are looking into supplying Ukraine with the missiles. On 17 June, Ukraine claimed that they have used Spasatel Vasily Bekh with two Harpoon missiles.
In a tweet, they said “Spasatel Vasily Bekh, a tug of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, successfully demilitarized by the @UA_NAVY. The ship was transporting personnel, weapons, and ammunition to the occupied Snake Island.”
Buyers Of AGM-84 Harpoon
Saudi Arabia and India are the two major countries that have purchased the AGM-84 Harpoon.
1.Saudi Arabia
The Harpoon missile emerged as a preferred choice for several foreign countries. The purchase was made under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route many countries were considered to be interested to buy this missile. In 2020 its manufacturer Boeing won made two major contracts and it was concluded that Harpoon missiles were sold to Saudi Arabia and its six other partner nations. The contract was under the $3.1 billion deal.
2. India
India also received Harpoon missiles under FMS and made a contract with the United States at around a $155 million deal.
Variants of AGM-84 Harpoon
1. AGM-84
This version is for launch from aircraft with fixed wings.
2. RGM-84
This variant is for the use with surface launch. For the first flight, it has a solid-fuel rocket booster that can be removed. Compared to the AGM-84, the RGM-84 is longer and heavier.
3. UGM-84
It is a Submarine Launched Variant. It’s also known as the Sub-Harpoon. Like the AGM-84, this missile has a rocket booster and is longer and heavier. The UGM-84 is kept in a sealed container to enable submerged launch through a torpedo tube.
4. Standoff Land Attack Missile AGM-84E
This is an air-launched, all-weather, infrared-guided land attack cruise missile that was developed in 1990 using the AGM-84 Harpoon and has a minimum range of 110 kilometers. It is basically a Tomahawk missile warhead added to a longer, heavier AGM-84 missile. From aircraft like the F/A-18 Hornet, A-6 Intruder, P-3 Orion, and S-3 Viking, this weapon could be fired. The SLAM-ER has since taken its place. The SLAM-ER has since taken its place. The SLAM-ER’s Attack capability medium-to-long-ranges is 155 nautical miles/250 km maximum (land and sea targets)
5. Standoff Land Attack Missile AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER
It is an enhanced version of the AGM-84E that entered service in the year 2000. It now has a maximum range of 250 kilometers and the best Circular Error Probe (CEP) of any missile in the US Navy.
Specifications
- Length 12.6 ft (3.8 m)-Air-launched; 15 ft (4.6 m)
- Diameter-13.5 in (34 cm)
- Warhead-488 pounds (221 kg)
- Detonation Mechanism-Impact fuze
FAQS
1. How Powerful Is the Harpoon Missile?
Flight altitude is done under Sea-skimming. The Maximum speed of the missile is 537 mph (864 km/h; 240 m/s; Mach 0.71)
Ship-launched Harpoon Block I & air-launched Harpoon Block IC
Greater than 537 mph (864 km/h; 240 m/s; Mach 0.71)
Ship-launched Harpoon Block IC & Block II
2. Is The Harpoon Missile Any Good?
It is an all-weather anti-ship missile system that comes at a low-level and sea-skimming cruise trajectory. The missile comes with active radar guidance. The Harpoon missile is one of the world’s most successful anti-ship missiles. It is in service and many armed forces of more than 30 countries, are using this missile according to Boeing.
3. How much Does a Harpoon Anti-ship Missile Cost?
The Harpoon anti-ship missile is one of the most common weapons of its type. It was developed in the West and entered production with McDonnell Douglas. The manufacturer is now part of Boeing and has been developing missiles since 1975. The company has proven around 7 000 missiles to date.
4. Can Harpoon Missile Sink A Ship?
Ukrainian forces used a Harpoon missile in the recent Ukraine-Russia war. The Russian resupply ship that was headed to Snake Island was destroyed by the missile. A senior defense official told reporters that the sinking of the ship helped Ukrainian forces to retake Snake Island.
5. Can Harpoon Hit Land Targets?
Harpoon Block II can execute both anti-ship and land-strike missions. To strike targets can be handled well on land and ships in port. This missile uses GPS-aided inertial navigation and hits the designated target Aimpoint.
Read More: AGM-158 JASSM: Specifications, Buyers & Recent Use In Battlefield
6. Is Harpoon Missile Nuclear Capable?
A former top U.S. nuclear-weapon scientist and a well-known U.S. missile expert revealed that the Harpoon can carry a nuclear warhead.
