US Navy Fires Multiple Harpoon Missiles during Valiant Shield

The US Navy successfully fired multiple Harpoon missiles as part of the joint military exercise, Valiant Shield, demonstrating its effectiveness against modern day threats.

A total of six Harpoon missiles, launched from F/A-18 and P-3 aircrafts and two surface ships, USS Stethem (DDG 63) and USS Shiloh (CG 67), detected, tracked and engaged their intended targets, during live fire events, Sept. 15.

“We are very pleased with the results from last week’s exercise,” said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, the Navy’s Precision Strike Weapons program manager. “Having a 40-year plus legacy of reliability and lethality, the Harpoon performed exactly as we had expected, again proving our ability to launch from air and surface platforms and effectively engage maritime targets.”

This exercise gave Sailors the opportunity to employ the all-weather, anti-ship missile and gain real-world proficiency in tactics, targeting and live firing against surface targets, ultimately enhancing deployed units’ combat readiness, he added.

Valiant Shield is a biennial event with 18,000 U.S. joint service members working together over a period of eight days in the Marina Islands range complex. More than 200 aircraft and 19 surface ships participated in this year’s exercise focused on the Air-Sea Battle concept, which addresses the anti-access/area denial military challenges.

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Press Release, September 26, 2014; Image: US Navy