Ukraine will be receiving two Harpoon coastal missile systems from the United States.

Pentagon stated this in its report on a new $1 billion military aid package.

According to the Defense One publication, this regards a new type of launcher that is not in service with the United States. Coastal systems will use a wheeled chassis. The new platform was created by the American defense industry at the request of the Pentagon.

According to an official from the US Department of Defense, European countries will provide Ukraine with missiles for these coastal systems.

According to the official, production, personnel training, and delivery will take several months.

Boeing had been developing the newest versions of the Harpoon coastal system for Taiwan. This contract was signed in accordance with the American program of intergovernmental Foreign Military Sales (FMS) back in May 2021.

25 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS) battalions were to be supplied to Taiwan by 2028.

In May, it was reported that Denmark will provide to Ukraine the Harpoon coastal systems, which were previously in service with the Danish Navy. Denmark had two battalions of 2 launchers with 4 missiles each. Recently, Oleksiy Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine stated that the anti-ship Harpoon missiles were already embarked on the coastal defense of Ukraine.

Harpoon is an anti-ship missile developed by McDonnell Douglas in the 1970s. Its standard version uses active radar homing, it flies above the water surface to evade anti-aircraft countermeasures. The maximum firing range is 280 km.

There are different types of modifications – aviation-based, for surface ships, for submarines, and for coastal defense.

In further modifications, the capabilities of the missile are extended to strike both surface and coastal targets. Harpoon uses GPS inertial navigation to destroy objects on the ground and ships. The 227 kg warhead ensures the destruction of a wide range of targets.