Harpoon missiles are capable of being launched from surface ships, submarines, shore batteries and from naval aircraft including the F/A-18A-F and Lockheed P-3C Orion anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft. It is capable of executing both land-strike and anti-ship missiles. First deployed in 1977 as an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, the Harpoon utilizes a low-level, sea-skimming cruise trajectory with active radar guidance. Originally developed by McDonnell Douglas for the United States Navy in the 1970s, the Harpoon missile has been adapted for use on Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bombers, which can carry eight to twelve of the missiles. It has been regularly upgraded over the years, and this has led to the development of the standoff land attack missile (SLAM) and the SLAM expanded response (SLAM-ER). The Harpoon has been described as the world’s most successful anti-ship missile, and it is currently in service with the armed forces of more than thirty nations. A change in fuel increased its range, while the new variant has a higher altitude in the first part of its flight path to avoid friendly ships as well as other landmasses that may be in the missile’s path. Introduced in 1985, the Block 1C differs from previous iterations in its flight path, guidance and target technology.Īccording to Navy Recognition, while the Block 1B and 1A could perform either a low apogee pop-up trajectory or a sea-skimming approach in its terminal phase, the Block 1C can perform both. The Harpoon Missile, Explained in 3 Minutes: In March, the Royal Thai Navy conducted a historic firing of a Harpoon Block 1C missile at a target some fifty-five nautical miles away.
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