Boeing

The Danish Naval Materiel Command (NMC) has contracted to purchase the Boeing Advanced Harpoon Weapon Control System (AHWCS). The NMC also has committed to upgrade its Harpoon Block IC missiles to the Block II configuration.

The combination of Harpoon Block II and AHWCS will provide Danish naval forces with the latest anti-ship capability and the most modern Harpoon weapon system available. Denmark is one of 25 countries with Harpoon in its inventory.

The NMC is one of the first customers to buy the new AHWCS, which Denmark will deploy aboard its Fliege Fissken-class Stanflex ships. The NMC has been involved in technical oversight for development of AHWCS, along with the U.S. Navy and the Canadian Navy.

The Block II missile incorporates key guidance technologies from two other Boeing weapons programs - the low-cost, inertial measuring unit from the Joint Direct Attack Munition; and the software, mission computer, integrated Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System, and the GPS antenna and receiver from the Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response. This expands Harpoon's capability to attack coastal, in-harbor and land targets-such as shore defense sites, SAM sites, exposed aircraft, port/industrial facilities and ships in port.

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

The system is unique in several ways. It's 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 types of platforms -- ships, submarines and ground mobile launchers.

AHWCS uses commercial-off-the-shelf hardware. An Ethernet Local Area Network enables it to be integrated into a wide range of modern naval command and control systems.

AHWCS also introduces on-line technical manuals, made possible by browser technologies now common on the Internet. Additional system features include embedded operator training, field upgradable software and online built-in-test and diagnostics.

Boeing has funded development of AHWCS to advance the system's performance and reliability while lowering its life-cycle cost.

AHWCS has completed concept definition and successful preliminary and critical design reviews. System test validation will begin mid-1999 with hardware deliveries scheduled for the third quarter 2000.

Plans call for the Block II to be delivered to the NMC in early 2001.

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