Royal Canadian Navy fires 1st sea-to-shore precision Harpoon missile

For the first time in its history the Royal Canadian Navy has successfully fired a ship-based precision missile at a target on land.

The frigate HMCS Vancouverfired the missile last week off the coast of California during a joint training exercise with the U.S. navy.

The Harpoon Block II missileis an improved version of the anti-ship missile carried by Canadian frigates for decades.

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Before the upgraded weapons system was installed, the only way for a frigateto attack a target on land was to use its 57-mm main gun, which has a range of only17 kilometres, compared with 124 kilometres for the Harpoon Block II.

"This would give the Canadian military the ability to sail in the MediterraneanSea and strike targets in Libya," says ElinorSlone, a professor of international relations at Carleton University and a former defence analyst with the Department of National Defence.

"If we were to send special forces into Libya, they could call in strikes againstISIS, whichhas now infiltrated Libya, so there's going to be a necessityfor some sort of action there," she said.

Canada'sallies such as the U.S. navy and Britain'sRoyal Navy have been able to fire missiles at land targets from the seafor decades, primarily with the larger Tomahawk cruise missile. Sloan said Canada'snavy has been asking for this weapon for the past 20 years.

Missiles could have helped2011 Libya mission

During the NATO led mission in Libya, HMCS Charlottetownpatrolled the Mediterranean coast.On May 30, 2011, it came under rocket attack, although the ship wasn't damaged and none of the crew was injured.

Sloan suggested that if the NATO coalition had more precision-guided weapons such as the Harpoon Block IIat its disposalduring the Libyacampaign,the conflict might have been resolved in the summer of 2011 rather than October of that year.

The new missile system gives the navy the ability to defend itself when attacked, in what naval planners call littoralwarfareconflicts in the coastal regions of the world.

The 12 Halifax class frigates in the Royal Canadian Navycan carry up to eight Harpoonmissiles each.

The frigates, commissioned between 1992 and 1997, are now receiving their so-called midlife updates.

The $4.3-billion program involves replacing much of the ships' systems, including weapons, sensors and damage control. All 12 frigates are expected to be back in active service by 2018.

"Years of work and innovation have led us to this point, and our sailors now have one more reason to hold their heads high," saidCommodore JeffZwick, Commander Maritime Fleet Pacific in a release."The success demonstrates the navy's commitment to providing a modern, flexible, and combat-capable maritime force not only above, on, and below the seas but one that is now also capable of striking from sea to shore."