Denmark offers Ukraine Harpoon missiles to fight Russia's Black Sea blockade
Source: Washington Post
EUROPE
Denmark offers Ukraine Harpoon missiles to fight Russia’s Black Sea blockade
By Andrew Jeong
May 24, 2022 at 4:33 a.m. EDT
Denmark’s plan to send Harpoon anti-ship missiles and a launcher to Ukraine would provide Kyiv with an advanced weapon that can poke a hole in Russia’s naval blockade, potentially allowing for the resumption of grain exports via the Black Sea. ... But it may take months for the Ukrainian military to be trained to use the weapons and to integrate them into the country’s coastal defense systems, military experts said, indicating that the missiles will not be an instant game changer.
The United States developed Harpoon missiles during the Cold War. They are highly versatile and can be fired from surface ships, submarines, aircraft and land-based launch vehicles. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not specify what variant Copenhagen had offered to send, but a 2013 guide to the missile system by manufacturer Boeing states that coastal defense systems use the land-based option.
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Malcolm Nance, a Navy veteran and former MSNBC analyst who volunteered to fight in Ukraine’s military last month, said on Twitter that Ukraine could use its Turkish-designed Bayraktar TB2 drones to support targeting. ... Some experts suggested that Russia might see such moves as escalation by NATO, but Nance played down that risk. “What are they gonna do. Invade Ukraine?” he wrote.
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By Andrew Jeong
Andrew Jeong is a reporter for The Washington Post in its Seoul hub. Twitter https://twitter.com/hj257
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/24/ukraine-denmark-harpoon-missiles-russia-war/
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A Danish navy frigate on maneuvers off the coast of Denmark accidentally fired an American-made Harpoon missile into a popular resort community Monday, destroying two houses but causing no injuries, the navy said.
A police spokesman said two houses were destroyed when the Harpoon, carrying a payload of 220 pounds of explosives, slammed into the resort. Heavy rains had kept most people away from Lumsaas and police said the houses were not occupied when the missile hit.
The Harpoon was fired from the 2,700-ton frigate Peter Skramm when an officer was checking electronic equipment, the navy said. A spokesman speculated a fail-safe mechanism connected to the firing system may have failed.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/09/06/A-Danish-navy-frigate-on-maneuvers-off-the-coast/6153400132800/
