The US Air Force has quickly integrated the new Harpoon anti-ship missile into its F-16 jets.

A photo of the F-16D and the missile was published by the US Air Force press service.

The F-16D was spotted flying at Nellis Air Force Base, where the 53rd Test Group is stationed.

The missile suspended from the aircraft was an XATM-84N-1, which is a training inert munition used to conduct relevant tests, such as drops, evaluation of aircraft performance during flight with it, etc.

At the same time, the US Air Force noted that the integration is an example of a quick opportunity to arm F-16 aircraft with new weapons, which might be of interest to a potential buyer or a country wishing to modernize its aircraft.

“The execution of this test event demonstrates a viable pathway to rapidly integrate advanced weapons onto existing platforms, potentially transforming the traditional timeframe of several years,” the USAF explained.

In addition, this integration is an excellent example of how Ukraine can also improve the anti-ship capabilities of its own F-16s, which, thanks to the digital system and additional equipment, will allow the use of American missiles.

In addition, the F-16 aircraft to be provided by Norway have an integrated domestic anti-ship missile, the Penguin, which, although significantly inferior to the Harpoon in terms of range (50 km), is produced exclusively by the Norwegian company Kongsberg.

It should be noted that the use of anti-ship missiles from F-16 aircraft became possible in the 1980s, when Harpoon and Penguin missiles were integrated into the aircraft as part of exports.

This modification became widespread because countries such as Egypt, Taiwan, Korea, Turkey, Norway, Morocco, and others needed an aircraft with minimal anti-ship capabilities.

The integration of the Harpoon missile at Nellis Air Force Base is a logical improvement in the aircraft’s capabilities, as the N-1 version was used during the tests, which is currently the most advanced modernization of the air-launched anti-ship missile.

Back in 2015, the US Navy tested the AGM-84N Harpoon Block II+ missile against a moving ship target. The Block II+ version is equipped with an advanced GPS navigation suite and a network-centric data link that allows for in-flight targeting updates.

The Block II+ was introduced into service in 2017 on F/A-18E/F aircraft and later on P-8A in 2019.