The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has conducted its first launch of a Kongsberg Penguin anti-ship missile from the Kaman Aerospace SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopter.
The missile was fired by an SH-2 embarked on the frigate HMNZS Te Kaha, according to the NZDF.
A video clip shows the weapon being dropped from the helicopter’s left-side pylon before its rocket motor starts. The NZDF does not state if a target was hit.
The Penguin is replacing the Raytheon AGM-65 Maverick missile aboard NZDF Seasprites. In 2013, Kongsberg announced that Wellington had signed a contract for a “limited number” of Penguin Mk 2 Mod 7 weapons.
The NZDF gives the weapon’s operational range as 18.4nm (34km), offering “a critical standoff, over the horizon, strike capability for the Naval Combat Force”.
The weapon features a 120kg (264lb) warhead that is designed to explode after it has penetrated a ship’s hull.
The NZDF indicates that the Te Kaha is deployed to the Arabian Sea, where the vessel is supporting Combined Task Force (CTF)150, an anti-terrorism effort in Middle Eastern waters.
“The helicopter’s primary role on this mission is forward-reaching identification and surveillance of suspicious vessels based on intel from CTF headquarters in Bahrain,” says the NZDF.
“The helicopter will then provide force protection for Te Kaha’s boarding crews, who are searching for illicit cargoes of narcotics and weapons being shipped by terrorist and criminal organisations.”
