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Harpoon     RGM/ UGM-84A Mission: Anti-Ship         Description: Harpoon is by far the most successful Western anti-ship missile, over 6000 having been made. It was conceived in 1965 as an air-launched missile (a 25nm Bullpup successor), primarily to attack surfaced submarines (hence the name: a harpoon to attack whales). The main targets were Soviet submarines firing the SS-N-3 missile, which required guidance (from a surfaced submarine) well into its flight. The project began formally in 1968. Under Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, CNO from 1970 on, it was extended into a longer-range universal anti-ship missile to deal with Soviet warships, capable of being fired from standard surface ship launchers and (in encapsulated form) from submarine torpedo tubes. McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) received the prime contract in June 1971. The missile was first flown on 17 October 1972. The requirement for long range (50nm) was imposed after the contract was let, a small turbojet being substituted for the rocket originally envisaged. Designations are AGM-84 for the air-launched version, RGM-84 for the ship-launched version, and UGM-84 for the submarine-launched version. In a few cases (see below) it has also been adapted for coast defense. SLAM is a modified land-attack version (see separate entry). More » Launch Platform: Submarine, Ship Target: Ship Service: Navy Country: United States Developer: Boeing         Technical Specifications:  Dimensions  Performance    RGM-84  UGM-84    RGM-84  UGM-84   Metric Standard Metric Standard   Metric Standard Metric Standard Length m/ft: 3.84 12.60 4.6 15.09 Range Max km/NM: 100 54.00 15 8.10 Diameter cm/in: 34 13.40 34 13.40 Range Min km/NM: 13 7.02 0.5 0.27 Span cm/in: 91.4 36.01 91.4 36.01 Speed: Est. Mach 2.0+ Mach 2.5+ Weight kg/lb: 522 1150.80 681 1501.33 Trajectory-Altitude: Sea-skimming near target.  System/Subsystem  Characteristics  Contractor/Subcontractor Overall System: All weather, anti-ship, sea-skimming cruise missile weapon system utilized by ships, submarines and aircraft Boeing Airframe: Cylindrical body of uniform diameter with blunt nose. Cruciform cropped delta wings midbody with in-line tail control fins. Tandem mounted booster in surface launched versions with in-line tail fins. Flush ventral air intake. Boeing Propulsion: J402 turbojet sustainer (600lbs thrust) plus rocket booster in RGM and UGM versions (12,000lbs thrust for 2.9sec) Booster-Morton, Thiokol/Aerojet, Turbojet-Teledyne Guidance: Active radar (frequency-agile Ku-band) terminal seeker (with home-on-jam capability) with strapdown-inertial mid-course guidance; digital computer for flight control. Controlled by electrically-actuated tail fins. Autopilot-LearSigler: Altimeter-Honeywell: Radar seeker - Raytheon Computer - IBM 4PiSP-0A Fuzing: Proximity and contact with delay. Warhead: High explosive blast penetration warhead of 222kg (488#). Naval Weapon Center, China Lake  Using Nation:  Key Dates:  Costs: Australia Bahrain Canada Egypt Germany Greece Indonesia Iran Israel Italy Japan Kuwait Malaysia Netherlands New Zealand Pakistan Portugal Saudi Arabia Singapore South Korea Spain Taiwan Thailand Turkey UAE UK United States Oman Operational Production began in 1975 IOC AGM 1979 RGM 1978 UGM ? Quantity To Date >6800 (including SLAM) Planned >7000 total mid 1998   « Previous Versions: the original missiles (A/R/UGM-84A) were Block IA. They used a pop-up terminal maneuver (the missile climbs sharply about 1.8km from the target, then dives into it at an angle of 30 deg). Block IA/B missiles fly out at a set cruising altitude. The Royal Navy version of sub-Harpoon, UGM-84B, used a new sea-skimming terminal approach. Block IB (A/R/UGM-84C) for the U.S. Navy had the new sea-skimming approach and had better ECCM. Deliveries to the U.S. Navy began in June 1982. Block IC (A/R/UGM-84D) increased range by adopting JP-10 fuel (vice JP-6) and could select among terminal maneuvers. It has better ECCM and can fly several dog-legs to the target instead of the straight flight path of the earlier versions. Block IC adds the option of a high-altitude flyout (to avoid friendly ships) or can sea-skim before beginning its search. It can also make a lower-apogee pop-up attack. This version also adds a selectable search pattern (early versions were preset as narrow, medium, or wide). Production began in 1984. Earlier missiles were upgraded to Block IC at a unit cost of about $20,000. Block ID (A/RGM-84F) is lengthened to accommodate 70lb more fuel (100lbs in the earlier versions), roughly doubling aerodynamic range. The extra range allows the missile to double back and re-attack a target missed on an initial pass, flying a cloverleaf pattern. The missile's wings are moved forward to maintain the same angle of attack, and its guidance system is modified for maximum commonality with SLAM (AGM-84E). It incorporates a unique target identification feature. Reportedly the airframe incorporates RAM to reduce its radar signature. This version is too long to be fired from a submarine. Development began in September 1989, and Block ID first flew on 4 September 1991, and production (in the form of rebuilt Block IC missiles) was approved in 1992. Few missiles were rebuilt, due to the end of the Cold War. Blocks IE and IF are SLAMS (see separate entry). Block IG (R/UGM-84G) is a Block IC missile with Block ID guidance (re-attack capability) but without extra fuel, hence suitable for submarine use. It flies at a lower altitude than Block IC. Deliveries to international customers began in 1997. Block II (RGM-84L, Harpoon 2000) is a next-generation missile using a SLAM guidance computer. The original radar seeker is supplemented with a GPS/INS unit adapted from that of the Boeing JDAMS. As a consequence, the missile can be used against land targets whose positions are known. CEP is given as 10m against a land target. The initial U.S. Navy requirement is for 300 missiles (remanufactured Block IC), but ultimately about 450 are desired. In a unique business arrangement, Boeing will fund development and the U.S. Navy will pay for Block II testing. Denmark is l the first customer. Late in 2001 Block II was offered to Egypt (53 missiles), but there was controversy, U.S. supporters of Israel charging that the missile would provide Egypt with a new land-attack capability. In October a possible sale of12 Block II missiles to the UAE (to arm two ex-Dutch Kortenaer-class frigates) was announced. Block II was first tested in June 2001; tests were completed in October. The first upgrade kits were delivered to Denmark in April 2002. An upgraded Harpoon Block 21, to be developed under U.S. Navy contract, is to incorporate further Israeli modifications. Block 21 was the subject of a $3 million 8-month contract between IAI and the U.S. Navy, concluded in October 2002. Denmark used missiles from scrapped ships for coast defense batteries. Spain and South Korea bought Harpoon coast defense batteries. Sub-Harpoon is operated by Australia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy (which does not use the missile for surface ships), Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, Canada and the Netherlands fitted submarines to fire Sub-Harpoon, but never bought any. Iran bought Harpoon, but has apparently expended the few received. Venezuela planned to buy the missile, to refit existing missile boats, but apparently the deal was not consummated. U.S. HAMILTON class Coast Guard cutters were modified to fire Harpoon, but this missile was withdrawn after the end of the Cold War. As of late 1999, the Chilean Navy was reported close to buying Harpoons (including possibly the submarine-launched version) to replace its Exocets. This purchase was not, however, made. Range given above is approximate; the air-launched version is credited with a range as great as 120nm (about 235km). The warhead is intended to explode after penetrating, to destroy at least a single compartment. Reportedly four hits should disable a missile cruise (such as a Russian "Kara"), two a frigate, and one a missile boat; however, the missile has only a limited probability of sinking a target ship. Most ships carry Harpoon in two clusters of four each. The seeker is activated at a preset distance from the estimated target location. Alternatively, if only target bearing is known, the missile can be launched with its seeker activated almost immediately (bearing-rider mode). At the Paris Air Show in 2001 the Israelis announced that they had fitted their Harpoons with a two-way Tadiran data link, making it possible to designate targets in harbors and other dense settings. Apparently the missile communicates with a helicopter, whose back-seater can see the missile's radar video and can lock it onto designated targets. This system presumably explains why the Israel Navy equipped some of its missile boats with helicopter platforms as long ago as 1979. Note that the link in question is NOT that of the Popeye missile. Presumably the link is part of the Harpoon Extended Performance (HEP) under development by the MBT division of IAI with U.S. support. HEP includes a new seeker and other improvements. Note that U.S. Air Force F-16s based at Misawa are fitted to launch Harpoon, but it is not clear whether they ever carry it. Taiwan claimed that an April 2001 launch by one of its F-16Bs was the first-ever F-16 launch of a Harpoon missile. The missile is also carried by U.S. Navy F/A-18s and by patrol aircraft (P-3s and S-3Bs). Harpoon anti-ship ship launched Missile Entry: Harpoon Copyright: Boeing Harpoon plane mounted Missile Entry: Harpoon Copyright: Boeing Harpoon in flight Missile Entry: Harpoon Copyright: Boeing Sub-launched Harpoon Missile Entry: Harpoon Copyright: Boeing Harpoon - line drawing Missile Entry: Harpoon Copyright: Harpoon Blk II test fire from U.S. Decatur Missile Entry: Harpoon Copyright: U.S.Navy