What are HARPOON missiles good for?

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Dimitris
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Dimitris »

ORIGINAL: Wiz33
There are also quite a few things that wasn't taken into accounts in sims of that era. The main thing is the man in the loop time. Providing that the launch platform was not detected and the first sign of an attack is when the missiles pop over the radar horizon. How much time passes before the first radar contact to when the defensive fire begins. In most sims, it's almost instant but what happens in real life?

OODA values (per-contact response delay). We have them.
Dimitris
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Dimitris »

ORIGINAL: Wiz33
While I used to have an hand in a lot of Naval sims from the 80s to 90s. SSI, EA, 360, Sim Can. I have not really been active in the community since the genre died (soon after EA dropped the the Jane's line). Although I still picked up pretty much all the modern military sims and try to at least keep an casual eye all all the new platforms since then. If the scenario that the OP was playing happens in 92 as someone thought. Then there is something wrong.

You're assuming the OP did a Loring-grade attack, with Loring-grade allocation and TOTs to properly overwhelm the SAG defences.
Wiz33
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Wiz33 »

ORIGINAL: Sunburn
ORIGINAL: Wiz33
There are also quite a few things that wasn't taken into accounts in sims of that era. The main thing is the man in the loop time. Providing that the launch platform was not detected and the first sign of an attack is when the missiles pop over the radar horizon. How much time passes before the first radar contact to when the defensive fire begins. In most sims, it's almost instant but what happens in real life?

OODA values (per-contact response delay). We have them.
S-300V

I remember that from one of the early beta thread. it's about time at not only can you simulate human response, you can also simulate training level/crew proficiency.
Wiz33
Posts: 148
Joined: Wed May 16, 2007 8:00 pm

RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Wiz33 »

ORIGINAL: Sunburn
ORIGINAL: Wiz33
While I used to have an hand in a lot of Naval sims from the 80s to 90s. SSI, EA, 360, Sim Can. I have not really been active in the community since the genre died (soon after EA dropped the the Jane's line). Although I still picked up pretty much all the modern military sims and try to at least keep an casual eye all all the new platforms since then. If the scenario that the OP was playing happens in 92 as someone thought. Then there is something wrong.

You're assuming the OP did a Loring-grade attack, with Loring-grade allocation and TOTs to properly overwhelm the SAG defences.

While he did not name the scenario. he did say "I was probably lucky that even one Harpoon got through (64 fired from 8 B-52s)." So I assume it's a Loring strike as the time period sounds right.
Wiz33
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Wiz33 »

ORIGINAL: Sunburn
ORIGINAL: Wiz33
One thing that have never been validated is that HARM can be intercepted by a SAM. The thing is the size of an AMRAAM although it flys are 1/2 the speed. but just try to imagine hitting an early AIM-7 with a missile. When I asked if a HARM can be intercepted. My friends in the Air Force just laugh in my face.

I can't speak about HARM specifically, but one of the explicit design goals of the S-300V was to intercept the SRAM missile at long range, a weapon with IIRC comparable/smaller signature than the HARM and even faster. From SA-10/11/12/15 onwards everything that the Russians (and now the Chinese too) churn out is explicitly designed to engage such targets. There is a reason everyone wants direct Prowler/Growler support on an op.

Guess it would be nice if anyone have some handy data lying around with the Radar signature of a SRAM vs a HARM ;-)
Dimitris
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Dimitris »

ORIGINAL: Wiz33

ORIGINAL: Sunburn
ORIGINAL: Wiz33
While I used to have an hand in a lot of Naval sims from the 80s to 90s. SSI, EA, 360, Sim Can. I have not really been active in the community since the genre died (soon after EA dropped the the Jane's line). Although I still picked up pretty much all the modern military sims and try to at least keep an casual eye all all the new platforms since then. If the scenario that the OP was playing happens in 92 as someone thought. Then there is something wrong.

You're assuming the OP did a Loring-grade attack, with Loring-grade allocation and TOTs to properly overwhelm the SAG defences.

While he did not name the scenario. he did say "I was probably lucky that even one Harpoon got through (64 fired from 8 B-52s)." So I assume it's a Loring strike as the time period sounds right.

You missed my point. You are assuming he made a good attack (careful target selection, weapon allocation, TOTs etc.), as the B-52D/G crews were trained to do. It's very probable he did not.

In fact, without a concrete save file to explicitly state all the parameters of the engagement, this entire discussion is utterly pointless.
Wiz33
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Wiz33 »

ORIGINAL: Sunburn
ORIGINAL: Wiz33

ORIGINAL: Sunburn



You're assuming the OP did a Loring-grade attack, with Loring-grade allocation and TOTs to properly overwhelm the SAG defences.

While he did not name the scenario. he did say "I was probably lucky that even one Harpoon got through (64 fired from 8 B-52s)." So I assume it's a Loring strike as the time period sounds right.

You missed my point. You are assuming he made a good attack (careful target selection, weapon allocation, TOTs etc.), as the B-52D/G crews were trained to do. It's very probable he did not.

In fact, without a concrete save file to explicitly state all the parameters of the engagement, this entire discussion is utterly pointless.

Ah, true. Will see if I can find that scenario. Probably a user created one by the sound of it? (The Seventh Battle)?
Excroat3
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Excroat3 »

Yeah, its my scenario (The Seventh Battle)

If I remember correctly, I think the SAG he is talking about is a SAG on steroids. The ships are the remnants of two carrier groups. These are the ships in the SAG:

Tallinn (Udaloy)
Chervona Ukrina (Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser)
Stoikiy (Sov)
Ustinov (Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser)
Otlichniy (Sov)
Kalinin (Kirov class battlecruiser)
Azov (Kara class missile cruiser)
1x Kresta
1x Slava
Coiler12
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Coiler12 »

Have the scen loaded now. All the SAG groups in it are:

Gorshkov:
Gorshkov/Kiev
Sovremenny
Udaloy x2
Kara

Kuznetsov:
Kuznetsov
Slava
Sovremenny
Udaloy x2

Moskva:
Moskva x2
Kara
Slava
Udaloy x2
Sovremenny x2

Ex-Varyag:
Kara
Kresta
Udaloy
Sovremenny x2
Kirov
Slava x3

However, even with the scen, the claim of "Harpoons not working" is useless without an exact save. It could be poor coordination, unlucky rolls[1], or both. It could easily have been a sloppy attack on the strongest group with a lot of dice rolls that favored the defender.
Wiz33
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Joined: Wed May 16, 2007 8:00 pm

RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Wiz33 »

ORIGINAL: Excroat3

Yeah, its my scenario (The Seventh Battle)

If I remember correctly, I think the SAG he is talking about is a SAG on steroids. The ships are the remnants of two carrier groups. These are the ships in the SAG:

Tallinn (Udaloy)
Chervona Ukrina (Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser)
Stoikiy (Sov)
Ustinov (Slava Class Guided Missile Cruiser)
Otlichniy (Sov)
Kalinin (Kirov class battlecruiser)
Azov (Kara class missile cruiser)
1x Kresta
1x Slava

I'll have to give it a try as The 6th battle is a really fun read back in the days. I actually ended up with 2 copies as I bought another one thinking I have lost/misplaced my original and then found it later on.
Wiz33
Posts: 148
Joined: Wed May 16, 2007 8:00 pm

RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Wiz33 »

ORIGINAL: Coiler12

Have the scen loaded now. All the SAG groups in it are:

Gorshkov:
Gorshkov/Kiev
Sovremenny
Udaloy x2
Kara

Kuznetsov:
Kuznetsov
Slava
Sovremenny
Udaloy x2

Moskva:
Moskva x2
Kara
Slava
Udaloy x2
Sovremenny x2

Ex-Varyag:
Kara
Kresta
Udaloy
Sovremenny x2
Kirov
Slava x3

However, even with the scen, the claim of "Harpoons not working" is useless without an exact save. It could be poor coordination, unlucky rolls[1], or both. It could easily have been a sloppy attack on the strongest group with a lot of dice rolls that favored the defender.

Yea, can't read too much into it without a save. But my post was mainly to point out to the varies post that follows saying that the Harpoon is useless. While it's probably not much of a threat against a modern Russian SAG nowadays. It was quite effective for the 1st 20+ years of it's service life and the Block II will continue to be a threat to any ship without modern/current CIWS for a good while.
Cik
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Cik »

a harpoon is useless, but they always lose at least 1 SAM per harpoon.

the answer then is obvious: fire several more harpoons than they have SAMs.

if you do not have that many that is result of poor planning! plan better.

granted i don't really have poor luck with them that often, just need a lot fired in a very tight salvo from multiple angles after you have picked apart any offboard sensors, blinded them with the strongest jammer you have and saturated the air with decoys if available.

then they're pretty good. pressing F1 and then clicking the enemy surface group doesn't really work unless you really outmass them in which case it does probably.
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kevinkins
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by kevinkins »

Loring-grade

What is that? I did a quick search and can't find anything.

Kevin
“The study of history lies at the foundation of all sound military conclusions and practice.”
Alfred Thayer Mahan
ExNusquam
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by ExNusquam »

"Loring-Grade" refers to Loring AFB in Maine, which is where the Harpoon-armed B-52's were principally based.
AlphaSierra
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by AlphaSierra »

in your opinion, is it conceivable that a situation could arise where all satellites friendly and non friendly, have been shot down or otherwise disabled?

or can they be replaced with ease?

Are there just too many to disable/hack?

Thanks
I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way. -John Paul Jones
mikmykWS
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by mikmykWS »

Best bet is some kind of electronic attack because you can target the communications links and ground stations rather than having to kinetically kill every satellite which is not impossible but amazingly difficult and expensive.

Most nations have reserve satellites that can be put into orbit but again pretty expensive.

Mike
Cik
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by Cik »

after a while you may get the cascade which is not good news for anyone.

among other reasons it's why ASAT is probably not a good idea.
butch4343
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by butch4343 »

ORIGINAL: Dysta

I kinda understand the doctrine of "Blind, Cripple and Maim": Jammer and HARM first to take out the detectability (blind), until it's completely ineffective to return fire (cripple), when the mission demands, or the target still can do harm to your units, ASM will ensure they won't do it (maim, possibly kill but wasting missiles for sinking a blind ship is unwise).

For the cheaper and non-asymmetrically prepared units, the only option is "Kill", by launching as many ASMs to saturate the fleet as possible to force them passively react for their defense, while the offset attacks (air units and submarines) are overwhelming them at the same time. But the modern vessels are very good at multi-tasking with general combat and engagement systems, this left the offensive two options by either drastically increasing more missiles to over-saturate their maximum defense (as LRASM for MK41, 200 of them to at least overwhelm 2 destroyer-protected fleet with lots of SAMs and CIWS), or, consider an asymmetrical countermeasure.


Dysta,

A quick question, your strategy outlined above makes perfect sense to me, how does co-operative engagements change the engagement dynamics? Ie one DDG has its phased array disabled by ARMS, another in the SAG can direct and fire missiles in its VLS using datalinks. That makes the attackers job harder, as you will need to blind all the SAGs Radars in order to kill the SAM threat to attackers?

Regards

Butch
VIF2NE
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RE: What are HARPOON missiles good for?

Post by VIF2NE »

The homing unit Harpoon missile was investigated by Soviet specialists for a long time. EW systems used the vulnerabilities found. Similar happened to SS-N-2 Styx. So it was a great chance that the missiles just fall into the water. Sovremenny class knowingly had two powerful 130mm guns. There were fears that only artillery would be used.
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