With Point Mugu Sea Range in California as the setting, the U.S. Navy announced that it used an F-15SA fighter to complete testing of the updated Harpoon Block II anti-ship missile, marking the third and final planned evaluation for the weapon. According to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the test was conducted on January 16 under the leadership of the Precision Strike Weapons Program Office (PMA-201), with additional support from Boeing personnel.
Expanding on some relevant details of the test, the updated Harpoon Block II was launched by the F-15SA at roughly 3,650 meters above ground level, after which the missile descended to an altitude of 1,520 meters for most of its flight toward the target, which it struck accurately after executing a terminal maneuver with a steep dive angle. The U.S. Navy also indicated that the target was land-based, allowing validation of the missile’s strike capability beyond its primary anti-ship role. The test also included verification of the GPS-enabled features that allow the missile to follow multiple programmed waypoints along its route.
As mentioned earlier, this was the third test successfully completed by the missile and the last of those planned by the U.S. Navy to progressively demonstrate the system’s performance, with the two previous events having taken place in 2025. In the first, the Navy stated that the guidance system and aerodynamic performance of the new variant were evaluated, while the second served to certify its ability to engage moving naval targets. With this background in mind, the service expects to conclude the test period in the near future and move forward with fielding missiles before the end of the year.
Citing official comments from Captain Sarah Abbott, current PMA-201 program manager: “This milestone reflects the strength of the integrated government and industry team, and their commitment to delivering a reliable and relevant capability to the fleet.” In that regard, it is worth recalling that the Harpoon family has been in U.S. Navy inventories for more than 50 years and, as an export product, has reached more than 30 international partners—opening the door for other customers to adopt the new variant once production begins.
It is also noteworthy that the F-15 used for the testing was the aircraft identified as 12-1002, meaning it is one of the three “Saudi Advanced” examples currently operated from Boeing facilities in California. This is not a minor detail, given that this variant—alongside South Korea’s F-15K—stands among those capable of employing the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, as well as the SLAM/ER variants derived from the same family, providing a unique capability for engaging naval targets despite being a platform originally focused on air superiority.
Finally, looking ahead, it is worth noting that this may not be the only anti-ship weapon the U.S. Air Force could eventually integrate onto its F-15 fleet. As development of the updated Harpoon Block II moved forward, NAVAIR also indicated its intention to field the new LRASM missiles to address this long-standing requirement— a design which, according to reporting and statements by manufacturer Lockheed Martin, is characterized by longer range (around 370 kilometers) and low observability.
Image credits: NAVAIR
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