Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
July 30, 2010
IWG Report 2009
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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RGM-84
| Country: | United States of America |
|---|---|
| Alternate Name: | Harpoon |
| Class: | SLCM |
| Target: | Ship |
| Length: | 4.64 m |
| Diameter: | 0.34 m |
| Launch Weight: | 682.00 kg |
| Payload: | 222 kg HE, penetration |
| Propulsion: | Turbofan w/ solid booster |
| Range: | 130.00 km |
| Guidance: | INS, active radar |
| Status: | Operational |
| In Service: | 1977-Present |
Details
The RGM-84 “Harpoon” is a short-range, ship-launched, turbofan-propelled, single warhead, surface-to-surface cruise missile developed and manufactured by the United States. Air-launched and submarine-launched versions also exist.
In 1971, McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) began development of the “Harpoon” family of missiles, which included the air-launched AGM-84, the submarine-launched UGM-84, and the ship-launched RGM-84. The idea was to create a standard cruise missile for the U.S. Navy and Air Force designed to sink warships in an open-ocean environment. Other weapons, such as the RGM-109 “Tomahawk,” can also be used against ships, but the “Harpoon” and the AGM-119 “Penguin” are the only missiles used by the U.S. military with anti-ship warfare as their primary mission.
In 1973, the U.S. Navy selected the “Harpoon” as its primary anti-ship missile. All three versions, the RGM-84, the AGM-84, and the UGM-84, entered service in 1977. The RGM-84 “Harpoon” is currently deployed on “Ticonderoga” class guided missile cruisers, “Arleigh Burke” and “Spruance” class guided missile destroyers, and “Oliver Hazard Perry” class guided missile frigates.
The RGM-84A “Harpoon” is 4.64 m in length, has a body diameter of 0.34 m, and has a launch weight of 682 kg. It is fired from Mk 112 RUR-5 ASROC, Mk 10 Terrier, or Mk 131 Harpoon launchers, and is powered by a tandem-mounted booster rocket in the launch phase and a turbofan engine in the midcourse phase. The missile travels at low altitude toward its target. The missile’s inertial navigation system (INS) provides guidance during the midcourse phase, with an active radar providing guidance in the terminal phase. The RGM-84A carries a 222 kg high explosive penetration warhead, and has a range of 130 km.
Over the years there have been a number of upgraded and improved versions to the RGM-84 “Harpoon.” One included a sea-skimming attack profile, meaning that the missile would fly at a low-level trajectory about 10 m above sea level during the terminal phase. A warship under attack can only detect a sea-skimming missile when it emerges over the horizon at a distance of 15 to 25 nautical miles (28 to 46 km), which translates to only 25-60 seconds of warning time. Another added a land attack capability using the inertial navigation system from the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guided bomb.
The U.S. has launched “Harpoon” missiles against targets in Libya in 1986, against Iran in 1988, and against Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War.(1)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 45 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, July 2006), pp. 181-185; GlobalSecurity.org, “AGM-84 Harpoon / SLAM [Stand-Off Land Attack Missile],” available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-84.htm, accessed on July 1, 2006; The Boeing Company, “Harpoon,” available at http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/missiles/harpoon/index.htm, accessed on November 8, 2006.
