Defence chiefs tight-lipped over extending Royal Navy’s Harpoon missile system

The navy’s Harpoon weapons system, which is fitted to all the nation’s Type 23 frigates, is used to blast enemy ships out of the water from up to 80 miles away.

However, the dated tech needs to be replaced. It was due to go out of service last year but defence chiefs extended this to 2023.

So far though, there has been no replacement system announced by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Labour’s shadow defence secretary, Nia Griffith, has now pressed he government on whether it will extend Harpoon’s service further again – this time beyond 2023.

Responding, defence minister Stuart Andrew – who is in charge of buying all the UK’s military supplies – said plans were being looked at for a replacement system.

But he stopped short of saying if Harpoon would be given another extension.

‘The Royal Navy has extended the service life of Harpoon beyond 2018 and continues to investigate candidate solutions for a replacement system,’ Mr Andrew said. ‘It is too early to comment on what these might be.

‘We do not discuss the particular out of service dates for weapons systems as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.’

According to Jane’s, a specialist military and defence publication, the UK is potentially looking to buy an ‘off-the-shelf surface-to-guided weapon’ to bridge the gap between the retirement of Harpoon and the introduction of the nation’s new anti-ship weapon.

The publication reported that during a House of Commons defence committee/French National Assembly inquiry into the new system last meeting, that senior MoD officials confirmed they were hunting the market for such missiles.

The new weapons system was intended to enter service in 2030, following a three-year concept phase, Jane’s reported.