Penguin (missile)


The Penguin anti-ship missile, designated AGM-119 by the U.S. military, is a Norwegian passive IR seeker-based short-to-medium range anti-ship guided missile, designed for naval use.

Overview

Penguin was originally developed in a collaboration between the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk starting in the early 1960s, with financial support from the U.S. and West Germany. US Navy test facilities and technical assistance were made available to facilitate development. It was the first NATO anti-shipping missile with an IR seeker instead of the commonly used active radar seeker. Both hardware and software have been updated since entering series production in 1972.
Initial installation was in deck-mounted box launchers with snap-open doors. These were designed for minimal deck intrusion, allowing them to be retrofitted to existing small ships. The first such installations were on Snøgg-class and Storm-class patrol boats of the Norwegian Navy. The first airborne installations were on F-104Gs of the Norwegian Air Force, the missiles being fitted to standard Bullpup rails on the two underwing hardpoints.
Fire-control was provided by a Kongsberg SM-3 computer which could cue the missiles based on either active radar or passive ESM data.
The Penguin can be fired singly or in coordinated-arrival salvoes. Once launched the launching craft is free to turn away as the missile is inertially guided until the autonomous terminal homing phase. Propelled by a solid rocket engine, latest variants of Penguin can perform random weaving manoeuvres at target approach and strike the target close to the waterline. It can perform a terminal bunt and weave manoeuvre. The warhead detonates inside the target ship by using a delay fuze. The MK3, when launched from high altitudes, can initially act as a glidebomb, only firing its rocket engine to extend range, or ideally to achieve maximum speed before hitting the target; for better penetration.
In its various versions, the Penguin can be launched from a number of different weapons platforms:
KDA's successor to the Penguin is the Naval Strike Missile, offered from 2007 onwards. NSM features an imaging IR-seeker, GPS navigation, a turbojet sustainer engine, and significantly more computer performance and digital signal processing power.
Penguin missiles were donated to Ukraine in May 2022.

Operators

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace stated in November 2022 that Penguin Mk 2 mod 7 was in service in Brazil, Greece, New Zealand, Spain and Turkey and had been phased out by the US Navy.

Current

Former