Warships will be left without key missiles | News | The Times & The Sunday Times
Royal Navy warships will be left without anti-ship missiles to protect them because of a shortage of money, it was revealed yesterday.
The long-range Harpoon missile will be retired from service from all frigates and destroyers in 2018 without being replaced, according to the defence news service
IHS Jane’s. Further denting capability, the Royal Navy’s helicopter-launched Sea Skua missile is due to go out of service at the end of March. This will leave the helicopter fleet similarly vulnerable pending the introduction of a new range of lightweight anti-ship missiles on the Wildcat helicopter in late 2020.
IHS Jane’s said that the Harpoon missile had a maximum range of 80 miles and could use radar to search a designated area for its target. The Royal Navy will still have naval guns to protect its destroyers and frigates but they have a far smaller range of about 17 miles.
A spokesman for the Navy said: “All Royal Navy ships carry a range of offensive and defensive weapons systems. Backed by a rising defence budget and a £178 billion equipment plan, upgrade options to all our weapons are kept under constant review.”