Tomahawk (missile)

Tomahawk (missile) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile developed by General Dynamics and manufactured by Raytheon Technologies. The missile is used by the United States Navy and the Royal Navy to attack a variety of targets, including ships, submarines, and land-based targets. The development of the Tomahawk missile involved collaboration between Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. The missile has been used in several military operations, including the Gulf War and the Iraq War, in conjunction with other weapons systems such as the Harpoon (missile) and the Patriot (missile).

● Development

The development of the Tomahawk missile began in the 1970s, with the United States Department of Defense issuing a contract to General Dynamics to develop a long-range cruise missile. The program involved collaboration with McDonnell Douglas, Hughes Aircraft, and Rockwell International. The missile was designed to be launched from USS Virginia (CGN-38)-class cruisers and Ohio-class submarines, and to be compatible with the Aegis Combat System developed by Lockheed Martin. The Tomahawk missile was first tested in 1980, and it entered service with the United States Navy in 1983, with the first deployment on the USS Bunker Hill (CG-52).

● Design and Features

The Tomahawk missile is a subsonic cruise missile, powered by a Williams International turbofan engine, and guided by a Litton Industries inertial navigation system and a Texas Instruments terrain contour matching system. The missile has a range of over 1,000 nautical miles, and can carry a variety of warheads, including the W80 nuclear warhead and the Blast/fragmentation warhead. The missile is designed to be highly survivable, with a low radar cross-section and the ability to fly at low altitudes, using terrain-following radar developed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The Tomahawk missile is also equipped with a data link system, which allows it to receive updates and retargeting commands from the AN/BSY-1 submarine combat system.

● Operational History

The Tomahawk missile has been used in several military operations, including the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the Libyan Civil War. The missile was first used in combat in 1991, during the Gulf War, when it was launched from USS Wisconsin (BB-64) and USS Missouri (BB-63) against targets in Iraq. The missile has also been used in conjunction with other weapons systems, such as the Harpoon (missile) and the Patriot (missile), as part of the NATO-led intervention in Libya in 2011, with support from the French Navy and the Royal Air Force. The Tomahawk missile has been launched from a variety of platforms, including Ohio-class submarines, Ticonderoga-class cruisers, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and has been used to attack a range of targets, including Saddam Hussein's Presidential palaces in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound.

● Variants

There are several variants of the Tomahawk missile, including the BGM-109 Tomahawk and the UGM-109 Tomahawk. The BGM-109 Tomahawk is a land-attack variant, which is designed to attack targets on land, while the UGM-109 Tomahawk is a submarine-launched variant, which is designed to be launched from Ohio-class submarines. The missile has also been modified to carry a variety of warheads, including the W80 nuclear warhead and the Blast/fragmentation warhead, and has been integrated with the AN/BSY-2 submarine combat system. Other variants include the Tomahawk Block II and the Tomahawk Block III, which feature improved guidance systems and increased range, developed in collaboration with BAE Systems and Thales Group.

● Operators

The Tomahawk missile is operated by the United States Navy and the Royal Navy. The missile is launched from a variety of platforms, including Ohio-class submarines, Ticonderoga-class cruisers, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and is used to attack a range of targets, including ships, submarines, and land-based targets. The United States Navy has deployed the Tomahawk missile on several ships, including the USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) and the USS San Jacinto (CG-56), while the Royal Navy has deployed the missile on the HMS Astute (S119) and the HMS Ambush (S120), with support from the French Navy and the German Navy. Other countries, such as Canada and Australia, have also expressed interest in acquiring the Tomahawk missile, as part of their NATO-led defense strategies, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin Canada and BAE Systems Australia.

Category:Missiles