Profile
- Type
- Coastal and anti-ship cruise missile system
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- United States / donor-supplied coastal defense systems
- Service note
- 1977-present; donor-supplied coastal defense use in Ukraine from 2022
Artillery
Harpoon
Harpoon is a U.S.-origin all-weather anti-ship cruise missile family built around active radar terminal homing and sea-skimming flight. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine received land-based Harpoon coastal defense systems and adapted truck-launched RGM-84 missiles to threaten Russian surface ships operating near the Black Sea coast.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Built by
- The Boeing Company
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- 1977-present
- Used by
- Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
- Designed
- 1960s-1970s
- Built by
- The Boeing Company
- Built in
- United States
- Produced
- 1970s-present in upgraded variants
- Variants
- AGM-84 air-launched Harpoon, RGM-84 surface or coastal-launched Harpoon, UGM-84 submarine-launched Harpoon, Harpoon Block II
Specifications
- Primary role
- All-weather over-the-horizon anti-ship cruise missile for aircraft, ships, submarines, shore batteries, and mobile coastal defense vehicles
- Launch platforms
- Aircraft, surface ships, submarines, shore batteries, and mobile coastal defense vehicles depending on variant
- Range
- Harpoon Block II listed by Boeing at more than 67 nautical miles
- Guidance
- Midcourse GPS-aided inertial navigation on Block II; active radar terminal homing with sea-skimming cruise monitored by radar altimeter
- Warhead
- Boeing lists a 500-pound blast-fragmentation warhead; U.S. Navy fact file lists 1,523 lb missile weight with booster
- Propulsion
- Air-breathing turbojet cruise engine with solid-propellant booster for surface, submarine, and land-based applications
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Ukraine received and deployed land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems for Black Sea coastal defense; U.S. officials later described truck-launched RGM-84 Harpoons supplied through partner arrangements as used by Ukraine against Russian vessels in June 2022.
Harpoon Images
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Related Weapon Systems
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Harpoon MissilePublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports Harpoon role, launch platforms, contractor, service entry, guidance, propulsion, dimensions, and general background. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Harpoon Block II Product CardPublisher: Boeing | Note: Supports Boeing manufacturer context, Harpoon Block II role, mobile coastal defense launch option, range, guidance, propulsion, and warhead specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Harpoon Weapon System, More Howitzers Headed to UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source for U.S. security assistance funding that included two Harpoon coastal defense systems for Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Ukraine Deploys Anti-Ship Harpoon Missiles to the Edge of Black Sea, MoD SaysPublisher: USNI News | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source for Ukrainian deployment of Harpoon anti-ship missiles for Black Sea coastal defense. | Accessed: 2026-06-19How The U.S. Rushed Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles To UkrainePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War source for U.S. official comments describing ship-based Harpoons converted to truck-launched weapons and used by Ukraine against Russian vessels. | Accessed: 2026-06-19RDN Mobile Missile Battery ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing context for the Royal Danish Navy mobile Harpoon coastal defense battery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Harpoon Missile Launches from USS Coronado ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports public-domain U.S. Navy image provenance for the Harpoon launch gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-19