Was Harpoon ever integrated into A-7 Corsair II?

[KDR]

Was Harpoon ever integrated into A-7 Corsair II? I've never seen a
picture of A-7 with Harpoon.

And I'd appreciate if anyone could post a link to the McDonnell Douglas
PR photo showing a late production F-4E carrying four Harpoons -
probably dummies - under its wing.

[George Ruch]

"KDR" > wrote:

>Was Harpoon ever integrated into A-7 Corsair II? I've never seen a
>picture of A-7 with Harpoon.

The specification page at GlobalSecurity.org
(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-84-specs.htm)
shows the Harpoon equipping the A-6, F/A-18, S-3, P-3, and B-52H.
The Boeing specification page
(http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/missiles/harpoon/harpoonspec.htm)
shows the F-16 and RAF Nimrod in addition to those listed above.

No reference to the A-7 in U.S. service.

| George Ruch
| "Is there life in Clovis after Clovis Man?"

[[email protected]]

I have also never seen an A-7 with a Harpoon.

Maybe it is somehow connected with the technical issues - to launch
Harpoon, you would have to have a radar with an appropriate
air-to-surface range (an this one on A-7 did not look to have too good
range...)

But more probably, it must be a matter of division of labour in the Air
Wing - where anti-ship missions were belonging mostly to A-6E (or S-3)
rather than to A-7E, which was used mainly as a light attack aircraft,
with some emphasis on SEAD missions.

I really doubt if F-4 could ever launch Harpoons...

Just my humble opinion...

Best regards,
Jacek

[KDR]

wrote:
> I have also never seen an A-7 with a Harpoon.
>
> Maybe it is somehow connected with the technical issues - to launch
> Harpoon, you would have to have a radar with an appropriate
> air-to-surface range (an this one on A-7 did not look to have too good
> range...)
>
> But more probably, it must be a matter of division of labour in the Air
> Wing - where anti-ship missions were belonging mostly to A-6E (or S-3)
> rather than to A-7E, which was used mainly as a light attack aircraft,
> with some emphasis on SEAD missions.
>
> I really doubt if F-4 could ever launch Harpoons...
>
> Just my humble opinion...
>
> Best regards,
> Jacek

Thanks for the reply. The division of labour sounds plausible.

[Kevin Brooks]

"KDR" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> wrote:
>> I have also never seen an A-7 with a Harpoon.
>>
>> Maybe it is somehow connected with the technical issues - to launch
>> Harpoon, you would have to have a radar with an appropriate
>> air-to-surface range (an this one on A-7 did not look to have too good
>> range...)
>>
>> But more probably, it must be a matter of division of labour in the Air
>> Wing - where anti-ship missions were belonging mostly to A-6E (or S-3)
>> rather than to A-7E, which was used mainly as a light attack aircraft,
>> with some emphasis on SEAD missions.
>>
>> I really doubt if F-4 could ever launch Harpoons...
>>
>> Just my humble opinion...
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Jacek
>
> Thanks for the reply. The division of labour sounds plausible.

At least one source indicates the A-7 is a Harpoon carrier, though not in
USN service. The Greeks have A-7's still in service, and it is concievable
that they could have such a capability.

www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/a7/

The Thais are also users of both the A-7 and the AGM-84.

A number of sources claim that at least the Israelis modified their F-4E's
to carry and launch Harpoon (and with many other F-4 users being out there
over the past few years, you have to wonder which other nations may have
similarly adapted their Phantoms). Being as the F-4 has proven capable of
carrying the AGM-142, one has to wonder why it would be impossible for it to
launch the AGM-84...

Brooks


>