The Harpoon missile was born from a Cold War shock that changed naval strategy.

Wars & Conflicts · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Designed to hunt ships from the air, sea, or underwater, the Harpoon has been a global naval staple since the 1970s. Its development was accelerated by the sinking of a destroyer, sparking a race to arm surface warships with long-range, over-the-horizon striking power that remains relevant today.

The Harpoon’s origins trace back to 1965, when the U.S. Navy began studying missiles to counter surfaced submarines. However, the project gained urgent momentum in 1967 after a Soviet-built Styx missile sank the Israeli destroyer Eilat. This event alerted U.S. leadership to the vulnerability of their own surface fleet. By 1970, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt launched Project Sixty, which fast-tracked the Harpoon to provide cruisers and other warships with a decisive offensive capability. The first missiles were delivered in 1977, and by 2004, Boeing had produced 7,000 units.

The missile is a versatile, all-weather weapon that uses active radar homing to navigate just above the water, making it difficult for enemy defenses to detect. It is highly adaptable, capable of being launched from fixed-wing aircraft, surface ships, coastal batteries, and submarines. While early versions like the Block 1 used a terminal pop-up maneuver to strike targets, later iterations like the Block II incorporated GPS and inertial navigation systems derived from the SLAM-ER program. These upgrades allowed the Harpoon to operate effectively in littoral waters, expanding its utility beyond the open ocean.

Throughout its service life, the Harpoon has seen both combat and accidental use. It was employed during Operation Morvarid in 1980 and Operation Praying Mantis in 1988, where it helped sink enemy vessels. However, its history also includes the accidental 1988 sinking of the merchant ship Jagvivek during a test, and the 1982 'hovsa-missile' incident in Denmark. Despite these events, the Harpoon remains a preferred choice for many nations, including India, Japan, and various NATO members, who continue to integrate it into their maritime patrol and combat fleets through Foreign Military Sales.

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