What is known about Harpoon anti-ship missiles/Channel 24 collage
The Danish government has decided to provide Ukraine with Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Now our military will be even more effective in resisting the Russian occupiers.
These missiles will help Ukraine protect its safe haven. Everything that is known about Harpoon – read the material on Channel 24.
Characteristics of the Harpoon missile
For the first time such an anti-ship missile was put into operation in 1977. Since that time, it has been constantly updated and modernized. What version of Harpoon will be given to Ukraine is unknown. However, Denmark is armed with the RGM-84L Harpoon Block 2.
This modification began to be produced in 2011. It features high resistance to enemy electronic interference, increased accuracy and satellite navigation, which allows you to make the flight more accurate. Harpoon Block 2 has an upgraded radar homing head. Thanks to it, you can hit both enemy ships in the port and ground targets.
This missile destroys entire 227-kilogram warheads. That is, one Harpoon is enough for a large Admiral Grigorievich-class frigate. The flight range is up to 280 kilometers, the speed is 855 kilometers per hour, the maximum height above the waves is 915 meters.
How a missile hits a target
- Once launched, Harpoon follows the set course. It moves towards the target at a very low altitude;
- at the calculated moment, the missile initializes the active radar homing head to search for a target within a radius of 45 degrees from the direction of flight;
- after detecting the target, the missile is guided to and attacks it;
Harpoon attacks in 2 ways– horizontally and maneuver bitter. During the first, the rocket moves over the water, and the second, it first rises up to a height of up to 18 kilometers, and then attacks. This method is preferably used for surfaced submarines.
By the way, Harpoon can be launched from aircraft, surface ships, submarines and coastal launchers.
How many such missiles are there in Denmark
< p> In Denmark, there are 2 batteries with two launchers in each. The battery includes:
- control vehicle,
- power supply vehicles,
- command post,
- recharging vehicles.
Each launcher has 4 missiles. This means that two Harpoon batteries can simultaneously fire 16 missiles attacking different targets.
How Harpoon missiles will help Ukraine in the war with Russia
Unfortunately, the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have aircraft, submarines or ships from which such a missile can be launched. Therefore, our fighters can only release Harpoon from the shore. However, this will make it possible to take control of the entire Ukrainian coast. Together with the Ukrainian anti-ship missile “Neptune”, it will be possible to significantly reduce the effectiveness of the Russian fleet. In addition, Harpoon will minimize the risk of enemy landings.
What preceded this
At a briefing after the conference of the Ukrainian Contact Group, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that Denmark would provide Ukraine with Harpoon missiles and launchers to them. The US Secretary of Defense noted that 20 countries have volunteered to provide military assistance to Ukraine.
