OVERVIEW: The UGM-84A Harpoon is an submarine launched, turbo-jet powered, solid-fuel, sea-skimming, medium-to-long range, radar guided anti-ship missile equipped with a 221 kilogram warhead.

DETAILS: The UGM-84 Harpoon is the primary anti-surface weapon used by many Western navies.  Unlike the surface and air launched versions of Harpoon, the submarine-launched version is deployed from a buoyant capsule. 

	Prior to launch, the Harpoon is programmed to one of two modes: The Range and Bearing Launch (RBL) or the Bearing Only mode. In the RBL mode, the UGM-84A Harpoon descends to a low cruise altitude immediately after launch, using its radar altimeter and inertial navigation to guide it to a preselected point near the calculated target position.  It then activates its frequency-agile, active J-band (10 to 20 GHz) radar seeker to guide it to the target.  In the Bearing Only launch mode, the Harpoon is launched down a target bearing and the radar seeker is activated shortly after launch.  If no suitable target is found, the Harpoon switches to a search pattern and self-destructs if it fails to acquire a target.

	In either mode, once the seeker acquires a target, the missile enters the terminal attack phase, approaching to approximately 1.5 km from the target before executing a "pop-up" maneuver that terminates with a dive into the target.

Specifications:

Speed:	0.85 mach
Range:	110 km
Weight: 526 kg
 

NOTES: IOC 1981. The Harpoon has been widely exported. Users include Australia, Canada, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, New Zealand,  
Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and the United Kingdom.


SOURCES: Friedman, Norman, "The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems, 1997-1998, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997, pg. 255-6 ; "RGM-84 Harpoon/SLAM - Smart Weapons." Federation Of American Scientists. Accessed August 21, 2015. http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/RGM-84.htm ; Boeing. "Backgrounder: Harpoon Block II." Last modified March 2013. http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defensespace/missiles/harpoon/docs/HarpoonBlockIIBackgrounder.pdf ; "MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS RGM-84L HARPOON and RGM-84E SLAM." Air Power Australia. Accessed August 21, 2015. http://www.ausairpower.net/TE-Harpoon.html ; "Harpoon." Weaponsystems.net. Accessed August 21, 2015. http://weaponsystems.net/weaponsystem/HH10%20-%20Harpoon.html ; "Boeing RGM/RGM/UGM-84 Harpoon." Designation-Systems.Net. Accessed August 21, 2015. "Boeing AGM/RGM/UGM-84 Harpoon." Designation-Systems.Net. Accessed August 21, 2015. http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-84.html.
