A Royal New Zealand Navy helicopter fired a Penguin anti-ship guided missile for the first time since acquiring the weapon in 2013.
The service announced that the Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime chopper successfully launched the Kongsberg-manufactured weapon as part of workups last week, before returning to the HMNZS Te Kaha, an Anzac-class frigate.
The tandem will be deployed with the service’s Combined Task Force 150 to the Arabian Sea.
As the Seasprite’s primary functions include maritime patrols, it will conduct forward-reaching identification and surveillance of suspicious vessels on the mission.
Additionally, it will perform force protection as the frigate carries out its task of searching for illegal narcotics and weapons shipped by terrorists and criminal organizations.
The Penguin Missile
The New Zealand Defence Force ordered an undisclosed number of Penguin Mk2 Mod 7 anti-ship missiles from Kongsberg in 2013 to replace its AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.
One of the missiles was only fired more than 10 years later because it had to undergo a re-motoring program, referring to upgrades in the missile’s rocket motor, which was scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2024.
However, the first launch occurred in February 2025.
Powered by a solid rocket engine, the anti-ship missile has an operational range of more than 34 kilometers (21 miles) and carries a 120-kilogram (264 pounds) warhead with a delay fuze that detonates inside the target.
Also known as the AGM-119 in the US military, the Penguin Mk2 missiles are 120.48 inches (3.06 meters) long and weigh 847 pounds (385 kilograms).
