The Harpoon was the first tactical anti-ship missile developed by the US Navy, with the weapon being fielded by its ships, aircraft, and submarines from 1977. It subsequently became the most widely deployed anti-ship missile system in the West, with more than 7,000 produced, and the weapon has been operated by the military forces of more than 30 nations. In this book, defense technology expert Lon Nordeen details the role played by the Harpoon missile in two Cold War flare-ups in the 1980s, when the US Navy employed cutting-edge weaponry in brief engagements with the Libyan and Iranian navies. Featuring first-hand accounts from the Naval Aviators and sailors who employed the Harpoon in combat, and technical analysis of the weapon, this book examines the role played by the Harpoon in modern naval combat during the Cold War era, when tensions in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf saw the missile fired in anger, with devastating results.