By David Pugliese
National Defence and the Royal Canadian Navy heralded what they said was a successful exercise off the coast of Southern California. His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Regina was involved in Joint Littoral Targeting Exercise 2024 (JoLTEX 24) at the United States Navy’s Point Mugu Sea Range.
JoLTEX included firing a surface-to-surface missile against a simulated surface-to-surface combatant, using a Harpoon Block II missile.
“The successful launch of a Harpoon Block II missile at a littoral (or near-shore) target reinforces a critical capability for Canada’s Pacific Fleet,” claimed Commodore Dave Mazur, Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific.
Commander Jeremy Samson, Commanding Officer HMCS Regina, also highlighted the success. “His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Regina’s precise delivery of surface-to-surface kinetic effects during Joint Littoral Targeting Exercise 2024demonstrates the crew’s commitment to combat readiness and their professional excellence,” he stated.
But two days later on Oct. 25, Todd Coyne of CTV News Vancouver reported what really happened.
A RCN missile test was aborted mid-flight after controllers lost communication with the projectile off the coast of southern California, Coyne reported.
The Harpoon Block II missile was lost at sea after it was fired from HMCS Regina, he added in his online article.
Samson admitted to CTV, that the missile's flight was terminated approximately 30 to 60 seconds after it was launched toward a surface target situated about 55 kilometres from the ship. "Without getting into too many of the technical details, there was an issue with the first missile," Samson said in a telephone interview with Coyne.
No details were provided
"When you fire a missile on a range, there are safety procedures to make sure the missile is doing what it's supposed to, and losing that communication can cause you to order the missile to destruct," he added.
A Department of National Defence spokesperson told Coyne the precision-guided missile plunged in the ocean within the 93,000-square-kilometre sea range and was not recoverable.
HMCS Regina followed up the failed shot with a second attempt, which "reached its target and fulfilled stated mission requirements," the National Defence spokesperson explained to CTV.
National Defence did not provide a reason why it didn’t acknowledge the failed test in the first place.
HMCS Regina followed up the failed shot with a second attempt, which "reached its target and fulfilled stated mission requirements," the National Defence spokesperson said.
The Harpoon Block II missile, estimated to cost upwards of $2 million each, is not a new weapon for the Royal Canadian Navy, Coyne reported.