Video: F/A-18F Super Hornet take on a full load of Harpoons Anti-ship missiles for the first time

: Posted On Saturday, 09 November 2013 10:10

Focus - First Test Flight of Super Hornet with 4x AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship Missiles

Video: F/A-18F Super Hornet takes on a full load of Harpoons Anti-ship missiles for the first time

On runway 24 of U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, a part of Boeing Harpoon missile history was recently witnessed when four of the proven Harpoon Block IC cruise missiles were uploaded onto a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet to undergo a rigorous flight test over the Atlantic Ocean. The test verified flight characteristics with the quad load-out; a Harpoon first.

Boeing Video

The test was performed jointly by members of the U.S. Navy’s VX-23 Strike Test squadron, PMA-201 Precision Strike Weapons team, Boeing Test & Evaluation and Weapons & Missile Systems businesses.

“There’s probably nothing that has to be more perfect than weapons integration and performance,” said James Dodd, vice president of Boeing Global Strike Weapons & Missile Systems. “It puts everyone at a high sense of perfection as to how they do their job on the Boeing side and the customer side.”

On runway 24 of U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, a part of Boeing Harpoon missile history was recently witnessed when four of the proven Harpoon Block IC cruise missiles were uploaded onto a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet to undergo a rigorous flight test over the Atlantic Ocean. The test verified flight characteristics with the quad load-out; a Harpoon first.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet from U.S. Navy Strike Test VX-23 in flight with four Boeing built Harpoon anti-ship missiles under its wings.
Picture: Boeing

The Harpoon Block IC missile is an autonomous, all weather anti-ship and land strike weapon that can be launched from aircraft, ships, submarines or by mobile coastal defense vehicles. It’s used by more than 30 international allies.

U.S. Navy CDR. Kevin Quarderer, NAVAIR’s Precision Strike Weapons program office deputy program manager for the Harpoon and SLAM ER programs, said the Boeing and U.S. Navy teams work incredibly close to achieve the levels of perfection dictated by working around ordnance and weapons.

“It’s absolutely serious business,” said CDR. Quarderer. “The only answer that’s acceptable is that every single weapon has got to find its target.”

The flight test with the four Boeing built Harpoon Block IC missiles underneath the wings of the F/A-18 Super Hornet was a success. More integration work proving the capabilities of the missile configuration and fighter attack jet is continuing.