The Harpoon is also capable of ship-to-land strikes
DESPARDES News Monitor – Boeing Co. has received a contract modification from the U.S. Navy for production of Harpoon missiles for Saudi Arabia’s military.
The modification calls for obsolescence redesign efforts in producing and delivering the AGM-84 Harpoon Block II missiles, a ship-based weapon, to be completed by the end of August. The Defense Department made the announcement on Tuesday.
NEWSBYTE: The world’s top crude exporter, said Wednesday that attacks on two of its tankers and a major oil pipeline had targeted the security of global crude supplies. Drone attacks claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen shut down one of the kingdom’s main oil pipelines on Tuesday, two days after the mysterious sabotage of four ships, two of them Saudi tankers, off the UAE
The 500-pound Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, and is in use by over 30 countries’ navies. The Harpoon is also capable of ship-to-land strikes.
Boeing was awarded a $244 million Navy contract in October to procure long lead material for Harpoon full-rate production in support of multiple Foreign Military Sales customers.
“Harpoon is of yester-years, said a senior Pakistani defense analyst on condition of anonymity. “If the missile is so good why the US Navy and the Marines have ordered NSM ( Naval Strike Missile) from Sweden,” he added.
To date, Boeing has delivered more than 7,000 Harpoons to armed forces in more than 30 countries, according to the Boeing website.
The missile performs both landstrike and anti-ship missions.
