Harpoon is one of the most powerful anti-ship missiles in the world/Channel 24 Collage
Harpoon is the most popular and one of the most powerful anti-ship missiles in the world. Due to the ultra-low flight path, it is almost impossible to shoot it down.
Harpoon is a universal homing anti-ship missile designed to destroy surface targets. It has been developed since the 1970s, and since then this 500-kilogram monster has sunk many ships.
Harpoon launch method in Ukraine.
The launch itself can be carried out from four platforms, depending on the modification: from aircraft, ships, submarines and coastal launchers.
However, if we talk about the use of this missile, it should be noted that in Ukraine there are no technical options to launch Harpoon from:
- ships;
- aircraft;
- submarines.
A method is available for us to launch Harpoon from coastal platforms in the same way as we launch our ” Neptune”. By the way, one such rocket costs from a million dollars. This is the price you pay for this projectile's ability.
Help.Depending on the modification, Harpoon can weigh from 540 to 700 kilograms. Its warhead has a little more than 200 kilograms. The length, depending on the modification, can reach more than 4.5 meters. The flight range is from 140 to 315 km, and the speed reaches 850 km per hour.
How an anti-ship missile works
The Harpoon missile has two launch options.
- The first is when the operator knows the exact coordinates of the target. In this case, the missile is guaranteed to hit the ship.
- The second option is when the target coordinates are unknown. On the one hand, this is not a problem, Harpoon can be launched in the likely direction of an enemy ship. The projectile itself will find it, because it can fix targets at a distance of 10 to 40 km, depending on weather conditions. On the other hand, by looking for a target, Harpoon becomes more vulnerable to hostile air defenses.
Liquidation of large ships
Harpoon is enough to knock out and even sink large landing ships. The rocket flies at a height of 2 to 4 m above the water surface. This makes it virtually invisible to air defense systems.
The Ukrainian Neptunes operate on a similar principle, and this is how they sank the Russian missile cruiser Moskva. This is called a horizontal attack and is used to destroy large enemy ships.
Destruction of small targets
To destroy small targets such as boats or submarines that have surfaced, a different method is used. Harpoon rises into the air to a height of 18 kilometers and, having fixed the target, goes into a steep dive until it hits the ship.
By the way, a missile can be programmed to search for and destroy a specific model or even type of ship. Further, the missile's computer systems will determine and find the desired target on their own, even among a large concentration of enemy ships.
Shooting down a Harpoon is almost impossible/Photo by United States Navy using GPS systems. If you don't get in, you won't succeed. If the target is fixed, this is the end.
There is, of course, a chance to shoot down a missile with air defense systems, but the speed and stealth of this projectile minimize such a scenario.
Such missiles will help Ukraine unblock the seas, ports and force Russian ships not to leave the ports. After all, as soon as they leave the place of deployment, the fate of the Moskva missile cruiser awaits them.
By the way, the naval battle in April 1988 was the largest use of Harpoon. The operation was called “Mantis”. Then the American fleet entered into battle with the Iranian. Both used Harpoon. It was a battle in which boats, cruisers and frigates sank.
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