The US Navy will return “killer missiles” Harpoon to their nuclear submarines due to the strengthening of China and Russia, Breaking Defense reports.
The publication reminds that the version of the Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles, designed to equip submarines, was removed from the nuclear submarine about a quarter of a century ago against the backdrop of the end of the Cold War.
According to Breaking Defense, the work to equip Harpoon on Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines was completed by Boeing in January. Harpoon was last launched from a submarine as part of pre-contract testing in 2018. The penultimate missile launch from a nuclear submarine was carried out in 1997.
The publication reminds that the updated Harpoons will feature increased range, which “will make them more deadly at a reasonable cost.”
In February, The Diplomat wrote that the revival of the Russian Navy’s nuclear submarines is a “serious problem” for the United States and its allies.
According to publicly available data, the range of operating subsonic Harpoons does not exceed 300 kilometers.