Harpoon cannisters fitted to RAN Frigate.

[gf0012-aust]

By LCDR Brett Bower and SBLT Jonathan Grimshaw

HMAS Warramunga has become the first Australian warship to have the harpoon surface-tosurface missile system installed.

The Anzac Class frigate has now been fitted with two quad-canister launchers that will hold eight Boeing RGM-84 harpoon anti-ship missiles fired using the new Advanced Harpoon Weapon Control System (AHWCS).

The RAN is only the second navy in the world to employ AHWCS, a system designed to launch the new Block II Land Attack Harpoon Missiles.

HMAS Warramunga will be testing the system installation this month by conducting the first-of-class firing, utilising a Blast Test Vehicle (BTV).

Once the installation has been proved, the harpoon missile system will be progressively fitted to all remain-ing Anzac Class ships and marks the beginning of a new level of capability for the RAN.

Other work completed in a recent refit included the fitting of the Air Weapons Magazine and the replacement of the Sceptre ESM suite with Centaur.

http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/4722/topstories/story03.htm

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it's about time these were fitted. the ships have been "undernourished" up until now. And they are Block 2's!

 

[Ryan]

Don't you mean the first ANZAC to be fitted.Adelaide class frigates have had Harpoons as a part of their armoury since the 80s.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Don't you mean the first ANZAC to be fitted.Adelaide class frigates have had Harpoons as a part of their armoury since the 80s.

Ryan, these are Block 2's.

 

[Ryan]

HMAS Warramunga has become the first Australian warship to have the harpoon surface-tosurface missile system installed.

That is what threw me off.

I think they are refitting all current Harpoon stocks to blockII standard.
Do you know if that includes air launched versions?

 

[tatra]

On most MEKO 200, the SSM's are on a different location. Is there a particular reason the Australians are putting their Harpoons in this position?

 

[adsH]

i'm sure it gets noisy (on the bridge) during a launch LOL, it must be awsume to see a harpoon launch first hand.

 

[Aussie Digger]

It's about time the ANZAC class started getting some weapons, the comments from Navy personnel have been along the lines of, "nice ships, but what about putting some weapons on them?"

Warramunga now has it's Mk 45 Mod 2 5 inch gun, ESSM, Harpoon Block 11 and it's 2x triple torpedo launchers (still using Mk 46 torpedo's I believe, but MU-90 should be fitted soon).

I've read the anti-ship missile defence upgrade is to be approved and funded next year, with the Mistral SAM looking likely to be used for the additional ASM defence layer....

 

[gf0012-aust]

On most MEKO 200, the SSM's are on a different location. Is there a particular reason the Australians are putting their Harpoons in this position?

The original overhead schemer for the ANZACs shows a mid mount Harpoon launcher.

http://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/images/ffh_line.gif

so I have no idea. it's possible that the first conversion is a placement mule.??

 

[mir]

Hello Everyone,
I am newbie here.

The reason why the harpoon is not located midmount is discuss in the link below, so thus some of the future project for the ANZAC class

http://www.ausmarinetech.com.au/in...=&start_from=&ucat=2&page=article

 

[gf0012-aust]

Hello Everyone,
I am newbie here.

The reason why the harpoon is not located midmount is discuss in the link below, so thus some of the future project for the ANZAC class

http://www.ausmarinetech.com.au/ind...=&start_from=&ucat=2&page=article

Thanks for that mir.

I must confess, that the logic still escapes me on this one. I am trying to get some more info from someone in the RAN

 

[cherry]

Do the Anzac frigates have the room or the ability to be fitted with SM-2 into the future? If so, is this a real possibility?

 

[Aussie Digger]

They have the room, unfortunately the RAN does not have the funds... The now cancelled warfighting improvement program would have fitted SM-2 to the ANZAC frigates along with the necessary Radar and fire control upgrades to the ANZAC's and turned them into a VERY capable frigate, with high level anti-sub, anti-surface and anti-air capabilities.


Unfortunately the Federal Government decided it was more capability than it could afford, and went head with the much more limited upgrades (which are draggin on interminably waiting for "approval" ie: funds) you see now...

 

[Aussie Digger]

That is what threw me off.

I think they are refitting all current Harpoon stocks to blockII standard.
Do you know if that includes air launched versions?

From what I've read, all ADF warstocks of the Harpoon missile will be upgraded to the Block II standard. On top of this an additional 64 Harpoon Block II missile's were acquired, specifically for the ANZAC class frigates.

In addition our Hornets are to be modified to provide the full range of missile firing profiles for the Harpoon, something they currently lack, to continue to provide a high level maritime strike capability when the F-111 is retired in 2010. I'll try and dig up some more info on this...

 

[cherry]

Some brief statements in regards to the location of the harpoon missile launcher tubes in the "Navy" magazine (Navy League of Australia), indicate that this position was chosen because of "top weight restrictions on the MEKO.....to aid sea keeping." Other sources also state that it will limit electronic interference, what with, I don't know.