LCS-4 conducts successful live-fire Harpoon Block 1C missile test

The Littoral Combat Ship Coronado (LCS-4) this week conducted a successful live-fire test of the Harpoon Block 1C missile off the coast of Guam, striking a surface target at a distance beyond the vessel's visual range.

The MQ-8B Fire Scout and MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, both part of Coronado's rotary-wing air detachment, provided targeting support for the harpoon missile.

The LCS' "ability to pair unmanned vehicles like Fire Scout with Harpoon missiles to strike from the littoral shadows matters -- there are over 50,000 islands in the arc from the Philippines to India; those shallow crossroads are vital world interests," Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, Task Force 73 commander, said in a statement.

Coronado's successful test follows the ship's test fire of the Harpoon in July 2016 during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise.

"USS Coronado's success in a real-world deployment of the Harpoon missile system is a result of how we are changing the way we operate and think about LCS," Capt. Lex Walker, Destroyer Squadron-7 commodore, said in a statement. "By focusing on how a deployed LCS fits in the larger maritime domain with regional partners, we are ensuring a secure and cooperative regional environment while increasing the ship's capabilities."