According to information published by the United States Department of Defense, a new military aid for Ukraine of $1 billion has been announced by the United States that includes the delivery of two additional Harpoon coastal defense anti-ship missile systems.
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Danish Harpoon coastal defense missile system. (Picture source mil.in.ua)
The latest tranche of security assistance bound for Ukraine was announced on June 15, 2022, by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, who are both participating in the third meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.
Of the $1 billion announced, $650 million is made up of USAI (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative). This includes two Harpoon coastal defense missile systems; thousands of secure radios; thousands of night vision devices, thermal sights, and other optics. It also includes funding for training, maintenance, sustainment, transportation, and administrative costs.
The Harpoon coastal defense missile system is based on a truck with launchers coming from the United States and the Harpoon missile will be delivered by NATO allies.
Citing information from the USNI News website, the truck-mounted missile system will be delivered by the U.S. defense industry according to the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.
On May 25, 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that Denmark would deliver Harpoon coastal defense anti-ship missile systems to Ukraine.
The Harpoon Block II is an anti-ship missile manufactured by the American company Boeing. It features autonomous, all-weather, over-the-horizon capability and can execute both land-strike and anti-ship missions. The 227-kg blast warhead delivers lethal firepower against a wide variety of land-based targets, including coastal defense sites, surface-to-air missile sites, exposed aircraft, port or industrial facilities, and ships in port. The Harpoon missile has a maximum firing range of around 125 km.
The Harpoon Coastal Defense System Launch System (HCDS) is the land-based version of the Boeing Harpoon missile Block II anti-ship. The system is based on truck military chassis with four missile launcher containers at the rear of the truck. The missiles are used to destroy enemy coastal defenses, surface-to-air missile launch sites, aircraft, ports, and docked ships.
