VIDEO: LCS 4 executes live fire test of Harpoon missile

JULY 28, 2016 — USS Coronado (LCS 4), an Independence variant LCS built by shipbuilder Austal USA, successfully executed the first live fire over-the-horizon missile test using a Harpoon Block IC missile July 19 during the Navy’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise. 

NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) says the test event validated the operation of the Harpoon missile onboard a littoral combat ship and provided the necessary engineering data to support future ship upgrades.  

“This Harpoon demo on USS Coronado supports the Navy’s larger distributed lethality concept to strengthen naval power at and from the sea to ensure the Navy maintains its maritime superiority,” said Rear Adm. Jon Hill, Program Executive Officer for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS).

The Harpoon installation aboard Coronado involved the collaboration of fleet and industry partners, such as ship designers, system design and sustainment experts, and installers to rapidly adapt and install the missile on Coronado.

“The incorporation of an ‘off-the-shelf’ Harpoon missile on USS Coronado in less than four months was no small feat and supports CNO’s focus on accelerated learning to bring capabilities to the fleet faster,” said Capt. Joe Mauser, PEO IWS Harpoon lead.

Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon weapon designed to execute anti-ship missions against a range of surface targets. It can be launched from surface ships, submarines and aircraft and is currently used on 50 U.S. Navy ships: 22 cruisers, 21 Flight I destroyers and seven Flight II destroyers. 

The test is part of a strategy by the Navy to increase the lethality and survivability of littoral combat ships, which includes demonstrating and deploying over-the-horizon capability on Coronado and USS Freedom (LCS 1) in the near term.

“With every deployment, LCS is bringing increased capability to the Fleet, and USS Coronado is no exception,” said Rear Adm. John Neagley, Program Executive Officer for LCS. “The Harpoon demo is yet another example of the power and promise of these warships.” 

In September 2015, Director of Surface Warfare Rear Adm. Peter Fanta directed the installation of a technologically mature, over-the-horizon capability across in-service littoral combat ships to support the Navy’s distributed lethality concept. Priority was given to Coronado and Freedom  as ships preparing to deploy in FY16. 

In the case of Coronado, an in-service variant of the Harpoon Weapon System (HSLCLS 9/10 and Block 1C missile) was selected as a proven “off-the-shelf” combat capability. NAVSEA says that while this demo represents the first over-the-horizon Harpoon test from an Independence-variant LCS in an operational setting, no decision has been made on which over-the-horizon missile will be integrated into the LCS platform. That will be determined by a future competitive contract award.

USS Coronado has previously successfully performed a live-fire demonstration of the Norwegian-made Kongsberg NSM missile (see earlier story).