The initial HARPOON Block IC (HIC) version, with an approximate range of 120 km, entered service in 1977 with the US Navy together with the Block II version (AGM/RGM/UGM-84L) in 1998, which then saw wide international success, but was not acquired by the US DoD, which instead procured the air-launched Block II + model.
#Harpoon missile truck upgrade#
Although no details were provided about the used HARPOON version, Denmark was the first international customer of the Block II version upgrade kits, which were installed by the Danish Naval Materiel Command on about half of in-service HARPOONs with deliveries of upgraded missiles from April 2002.
#Harpoon missile truck mod#
Taiwan is the latest customer of a HCDS after the Danish MoD retired two coastal mobile batteries of the Boeing missile in the 2000s (Denmark used the system on board its ships). The total estimated programme cost was valued US$2.37Bn. This is in addition to 411 containers and the same number of launcher transport units, 25 radar trucks, spare and repair parts, support, and test equipment, alongside personnel training and equipment, technical assistance, and logistics support services.
In the previous determination to approval statements, the request was for delivery of up to 400 RGM-84L-4 HARPOON Block II surface-launched missiles and four RTM-84L-4 HARPOON Block II exercise missiles. Running through December 2028, the contract includes the supply of 100 launcher transport units, 25 radar units and HCDS training equipment. After an initial US$220M non-recurring engineering contract awarded in September 2021, the US Naval Air Systems Command awarded Boeing a US$498,3M order in March 2022 for the production and delivery of the HARPOON Coastal Defense Launch System (HCDS) in support of the Government of Taiwan. While continuing to pursue campaign opportunities for the latest versions of its family of shipborne and air-launched HARPOON weapon systems, after the US State Department’s approval of the possible foreign military sale in October 2020, Taiwan became a new customer of a Coastal Defence System based on the Boeing missile system. They are located according to their mobility and when available, have stand-alone surveillance and targeting capabilities, if not integrated into the national or theatre of operations’ surveillance and targeting network. The latter are easy to be deployed and difficult to be detected. In his comments, Gilday highlighted the importance of the threat posed by Mobile Coastal Defence Systems (MCDS) equipped with anti-ship missiles as a capable ground-based anti-access/area denial, anti-ship capability. Related to the attacks, a comment made by the US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday, who underscored the need for the US Navy to put more resources into fleet defence, when asked about new developments the service is pursuing as a result of the more dangerous security environment. As seen with the recent anti-ship operations in Russia’s war against Ukraine, the latter’s forces attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, the missile cruiser MOSKVA and also a re-supply ship with land-based anti-ship missiles, resulting in the sinking of both ships in two different events.
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