Boeing

On June 30 the Canadian Department of National Defence contracted to purchase 13 Boeing Advanced Harpoon Weapon Control Systems (AHWCS).

Canada, one of 25 countries with Harpoon in its inventory, will use the AHWCS to enhance the capabilities of their HALIFAX class patrol frigates.

AHWCS employs advanced engagement planning features - including automatic missile flight routing for coastal shoreline avoidance, selectable terminal trajectory and multi-target, multi-missile engagement.

The system is unique in several ways. The AHWCS flexible, modular software architecture is designed for seamless compatibility with modern ship combat systems, and is the first weapon control system to use common hardware and software for three platform types -- ships, submarines and ground mobile launchers.

The AHWCS design uses commercial-off-the-shelf hardware. An Ethernet Local Area Network enables integration of AHWCS into a wide range of modern naval command and control systems.

The AHWCS development is a Boeing-funded initiative to field the next generation Harpoon launch control system with available low-risk technology to achieve major advances in performance, reliability, and a significant decrease in the price-performance ratio in initial acquisition and life cycle support.

AHWCS will provide Canada with the most modern Harpoon weapon system available. The system also introduces on-line technical manuals, made possible using the web browser technologies now common on the Internet. Additional system features are embedded operator training, field upgradable software and on-line built-in-test and diagnostics.

AHWCS development has completed concept definition and preliminary design review. Critical design review is scheduled for completion by October 1998. System test validation will begin mid-1999 with hardware deliveries schedule for the third quarter 2000

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