According
to a Lockheed Martin announcement, the U.S. Army’s first prototype Mid-Range Capability
battery, also known as the Typhon Weapon System, has been delivered.
The land-based Typhon, which is derived from the U.S. Navy’s Mk 41 Vertical Launch System will
be able to fire both ground-launched SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The idea is to fill the gap between US Army’s
Precision Strike Missile and its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon.
As per reports, the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technology Office (RCCTO),
which is currently managing the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) program,
accepted delivery of the first complete Typhon Weapon System (TWS)
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why Typhon Weapon System would be a
crucial addition to US Army? Let’s get into the details.
The US Army explained that the initial hardware delivery to the RCCTO was comprised of “a complete
MRC ground equipment and reload capability”. This includes an MRC Battery Operations Center
and four Mk 41-derived Vertical Launch System (VLS) launchers mounted on modified trailers,
as well as M983A4 tractor trucks that are expected to be the prime movers for the overall battery
Mk-41 VLS is a proven system,
Ticonderoga class has 122 and Arleigh Burke-class has 96 of these cells.
Both the missile that the US Army plans to acquire for the TWS are
ground-launched variants of the Navy's SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missile types.
Viewers may note that both are produced by Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
Since the US Navy is the lead service for purchasing both of these weapons across the
U.S. military, the US Army is expected to acquire the missiles for the TWS through Navy contracts.
Each TWS launcher will carry four missiles and each battery will have four launchers,
totaling 16 missiles per TWS battery.
Let us look at the capabilities of the missile one by one.
The RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM),
or Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) has been deployed by the US Navy to counter different kinds of threats.
It was designed for extended-range anti-air warfare (ER-AAW) purposes
providing capability against fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles,
anti-ship cruise missiles in flight, both over sea and land, and terminal ballistic missile defense.
It can also be used as a high-speed anti-ship missile.
Its high-velocity and quasi-ballistic missile mode
of attack makes it difficult to defend against and defeat.
The missile uses the airframe of the earlier SM-2ER Block IV (RIM-156A)
missile and some targeting elements from AIM-120C AMRAAM.
It can discriminate targets using its dual-mode seeker, with the semi-active seeker relying on a
ship-based illuminator to highlight the target, and the active seeker having the missile itself
sends out an electromagnetic signal. SM 6 has a max speed of Mach 3.5,
a range of 230 miles or 370 km and a 140 lb or 64 kg blast fragmentation warhead.
The missile has two variants Block I and
Block IA in service while a third version Bloc 1B is in the works.
Though the current variants are thought to be effective against hypersonic threats,
the new Block 1B variant is expected to see some major upgrades to propulsion and guidance.
It is expected to be able to reach hypersonic speed itself and therefore
has an enhanced performance envelope. The SM-6 can be provided target information
from off-board sensors, so even if the launching platform may not be able to
detect or track a threat, the missile could still be used to neutralize it.
Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile.
It was designed and initially produced in the 1970s by General Dynamics
Depending on the variant the missile has a maximum range of 1,550 mi or 2,500 km
Over the years, the missile has seen many upgrades to keep it relevant.
Block V is the latest one & has 2 variants - Va & Vb both
of whom are compatible with Typhon Weapon System
The Block Va variants is called Maritime Strike. It has a new seeker capable of
hitting a moving target. So, it could be used to target a rival's surface combatants.
The target information in the variant could be updated in flight.
The warhead will be geared towards destroying enemy warships.
Block Vb features the JMEWS or Joint Multi-Effects Warhead System. It is a two-stage
warhead that combines blast fragmentation and enhanced penetration in one warhead.
It will be able to destroy a wide variety of targets - soft targets
like parked aircraft well as hardened ones like bunkers.
The Lockheed Martin press release explained that the company was able to leverage modern
engineering processes and digital transformation to “scale its Aegis Command and Control functions
and the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System to quickly meet Army long-range fires needs.”
Typhon Weapon System architecture makes it a flexible solution.
Taking SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles and dispersing them on land with
the Army and Marines just makes strategic sense.
The two missiles SM-6 and Tomahawk are extremely versatile and would
be able to hold different types of targets at risks from long ranges.
The US Army has said that ongoing hardware support for TWS is planned
through the end of the year as it prepares for training to begin after the holidays.
If things go according to plan, TWS is then
slated to achieve operational capability in Fiscal Year 2023.