---
title: "U.S. Navy Sub To Fire Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile Years After They Left The Force"
description: "The somewhat puzzling drill does coincide with a renewed interest in pairing anti-ship missile capabilities with America's attack submarine force."
date: "2018-07-11"
modified: "2018-07-11"
authors:
  - name: "Tyler Rogoway"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/tyler-rogoway"
url: "https://www.twz.com/22106/u-s-navy-sub-to-fire-harpoon-anti-ship-missile-years-after-they-left-the-force"
categories:
  - "Anti-Ship Cruise Missile"
  - "Naval Munitions"
  - "Navies"
  - "R/UGM-84 Harpoon"
  - "Sea"
  - "Submarines"
  - "U.S. Navy"
tags:
  - "anti-ship missile"
  - "Harpoon"
  - "hawaii"
  - "Pearl Harbor"
  - "Rim Of The Pacific"
  - "RIMPAC"
  - "SINKEX"
  - "Submarine"
  - "test"
  - "UGM-84"
---

# U.S. Navy Sub To Fire Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile Years After They Left The Force

![](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-twz/content/2018/07/jjjad131c.jpg>)
*www.twz.com*

As part of the many unique evolutions during the Navy's giant, biannual, multi-national naval exercise known as [Rim Of The Pacific](<https://www.twz.com/4450/this-retired-perry-class-frigate-just-wont-sink-after-being-severely-pummeled-during-rimpac-16>) or RIMPAC, a U.S. Navy nuclear fast attack submarine will be fire a live UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile at a target in the waters off of Hawaii. What's interesting is that Harpoon missiles were stripped from American submarines over 20 years ago, but the standoff range and flexibility that anti-ship missiles provide are once again becoming in-demand capability for America's submarine force and [its surface fleet as well](<https://www.twz.com/21233/its-official-the-navys-next-anti-ship-cruise-missile-will-be-the-naval-strike-missile>).

The U.S. Navy posted shots of a UGM-84 being loaded onto the [*Los Angeles* class](<https://www.twz.com/16755/famous-nuclear-submarine-that-starred-in-hunt-for-red-october-has-been-retired>) fast attack submarine *USS Olympia* (SSN-717), but no additional information was given beyond the fact that it would be used for a live-fire exercise during RIMPAC. *Olympia* is the second oldest submarine in the Navy's fast attack fleet, having been commissioned in 1984.

![message-editor%2F1531361300344-nja1ca.jpg](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1531361300344-nja1ca.jpg>)
*An UGM-84 is loaded into Olympia's torpedo room before heading out on RIMPAC maneuvers. , *USN**

Today, U.S. Navy submarines rely on their torpedoes alone for anti-ship warfare, but there has [been some talk](<https://news.usni.org/2015/10/21/u-s-navy-considering-adding-anti-ship-missiles-back-to-submarine-force>) of the Harpoon returning to the torpedo tubes of America's SSNs. Yet a clear plan to do so has not been put in place—at least as far as we know. The [Block IV Tomahawk cruise missile](<https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this-chase-planes-view-of-a-tomahawk-striking-a-ship-is-1684902149>) has a secondary anti-ship capability though, which could negate the need for the much shorter-ranged (about 90 miles versus 900 miles) and less flexible Harpoon to be reintegrated into America's subsurface arsenal.

https://youtube.com/embed/oxpwIsZCgtM

The Navy is also working on [classified submarine-launched anti-ship](<https://www.twz.com/21414/what-supersonic-anti-ship-missile-did-china-hack-from-the-u-s-navy>) missile systems that are far more exotic in nature than the Harpoon or the latest iteration of the Tomahawk. It's possible that this test is related to such a program and uses a Harpoon as a surrogate weapon to evaluate a particular tactical scenario. We also don't know the exact configuration of the Harpoon being used in the test but UGM-84D models are known to be compatible with the *Los Angeles* class.

It's also worth mentioning that surface and air-launched versions of the Harpoon still serve in the U.S. military and in dozens of militaries around the globe. But the Navy is slowly stepping away from the four-decade-old design and working on [fielding stealthier](<https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-navys-smart-new-stealth-anti-ship-missile-can-plan-1666079462>) and [smarter anti-ship missiles](<https://www.twz.com/21233/its-official-the-navys-next-anti-ship-cruise-missile-will-be-the-naval-strike-missile>) types.

We will probably find out more about this particular part of the exercise after it occurs as live-fire portions of RIMPAC often get a big public affairs boost. This is particularly so if the weapon in question is being used as [part of SINKEX drill](<https://www.twz.com/4450/this-retired-perry-class-frigate-just-wont-sink-after-being-severely-pummeled-during-rimpac-16>) where [retired a Navy ship](<https://www.twz.com/19179/two-of-the-navys-youngest-perry-class-frigates-are-set-to-be-sunk>) will be pummeled with various munitions until it succumbs to the sea.

Regardless, this is yet another sign that after decades of hibernation, the Pentagon is taking a [whole new interest](<https://www.twz.com/18427/the-army-eyes-getting-into-the-ship-killing-business-with-this-cruise-missile>) in anti-ship missiles as a result of a new era of anti-access and area-denial warfare riding peer-state competition on the high seas.

We'll let you know when we find out more information.

![message-editor%2F1531360927392-kakkad1.jpg](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1531360927392-kakkad1.jpg>)
**Olympia* visited its namesake city in March. It's is seen here passing Seattle, Washington on its way to Naval Base Kitsap. , *USN**

*Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com*

## Author
Tyler’s passion is the study of military technology, strategy, as well as foreign policy, and he has fostered a dominant voice on those topics in the defense and national security space. Tyler was the creator of the hugely popular defense site *Foxtrot Alpha* before developing *TWZ*, which he continues to lead as the Editor-In-Chief to this day.

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