Canadian Frigate Test Fires First Missile at Shore Target

Canadian Navy Ship HMCS Vancouver has made history by being the first modernized Canadian frigate to successfully test surface-to-surface missiles against a shore-based target.

Utilizing Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missiles, the launches were a part of a Joint Littoral Training Exercise (JoLTEX) recently completed by the Royal Canadian Navy at a United States Navy missile firing range off the coast of California. The exercise was held in late March and early April.

The success of this exercise symbolizes a significant step toward reinstituting a crucial Navy capability that will support the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) and its allies’ combat operations ashore, said the Navy in a statement.

The successful firing of these missiles in Coastal Target Suppression (CTS) mode is the first time Harpoon Block II missiles and the new Combat Management System on board the RCN’s modernized frigates have been coupled for this purpose.

“This successful launch test serves not only as a testament to the professionalism of the sailors on board HMCS Vancouver, it also serves to usher in a renewed capability for the Royal Canadian Navy,” said Commodore Jeff Zwick, Commander Maritime Fleet Pacific. 

“Years of work and innovation have led us to this point, and our sailors now have one more reason to hold their heads high. The success of JoLTEX 16 clearly demonstrates the navy’s commitment to providing a modern, flexible and combat capable maritime force not only above, on, and below the seas, but one that is now also capable of striking from sea to shore.”