It's new offspring is Harpoon II. Comes in an All Up Round Cannister a-la Fedex

There is no requirement for it, therefore no one is spending any time or money on it.

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 31, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $73.7 million U.S. Navy contract to design and develop the Harpoon Block III missile, a next-generation weapon system that will enhance naval surface warfare capabilities.

The system design and development (SDD) contract will result in a kit upgrade program for existing Navy weapons that will return 800 enhanced surface- and air-launch Harpoon missiles and 50 ship-launch systems to the service's inventory.

"The start of SDD is a big milestone for the Harpoon program and is the first major development for the U.S. Navy on Harpoon for many years," said Jim Young, Jr., Boeing Harpoon Block III program manager. "Harpoon Block III will provide the warfighter with a capable, near-term solution to over-the-horizon, surface warfare threats."

Equipped with a new data-link system, Harpoon Block III will offer warfighters more control after the weapon is released, resulting in improved accuracy for littoral and open-ocean warfare. The Block III upgrade also positions the missile for future spiral developments, including extended range and vertical launch capabilities.

Harpoon Block III adds in-flight target updates, positive terminal control and connectivity with future network architectures to a proven missile that already provides autonomous, all-weather, over-the-horizon capability.

I think the general impression of the Harpoon that it wasn' t an stellar success in the anti shipping field - whether surface launched or otherwise, so other solutions were being looked at.

Harpoon is probably the most under-rated SSM out there.

The harpoon series was and still is very successful.  But it is a 70's weapon.  It's time for a serious upgrade if not outright replacement.  The newer Russian ascm's are supersonic and have longer range.  Granted, they needed them more than we did.  They had carrier battle groups to deal with, we didn't.   They saw the missiles as a quicker/cheaper alternatrive to matching our CBG's.  But even now, a subsonic harpoon riding 2/4 at a time under the wings of a super hornet still out performs any ship or sub lunched ascm supersonic or not.  Still, we need to develope equivalent weapons for our ships and subs.  We shouldn't rely just on carrier planes, as these ships will no doubt be numero uno targets.

They still need to develope the ability if for nothing more than versatilities sake.  The did it for practically every other ship fired missile, including the asroc, which would be most similiar to harpoon.  In fact, the need to develope a supersonic vls anti-ship missile.  The Russians are way ahead of us in ascm tech righ now, though air launched harpoons will maintain us for now, especially as far as weapon reach is concerned.

have they deployed the new harpoon yet, there was a rumor during the last rimpac that they tested one ,but not sure