U.S. Navy orders 79 Harpoon Block II Plus tactical missile upgrade kits

In a statement made Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense has reported that Boeing awarded $15 million for 79 Harpoon Block II Plus tactical missile upgrade kits.

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, seven Flight II destroyers, and select littoral combat ships.

According to a statement, Boeing was awarded $15,9 million for modification P00001 to delivery order previously placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001.  This modification exercises an option for the procurement of 79 Harpoon Block II Plus Tactical Missile upgrade kits for the U.S. Navy. 

The U.S. Department of Defense also noted that work is expected to be completed in March 2022. 

The original missile was designed as an open-ocean weapon and Block II adds a littoral (coastal) anti-ship capability. It adds the inertial measurement unit from the Joint Direct Attack Munition, and the software, computer, GPS/inertial navigation system from the SLAM Expanded Response (SLAM-ER).

Block II Plus includes an improved GPS guidance system and a datalink to enable in-flight targeting updates.