Today’s episode we are going to discuss How Tomahawk Finds Its Target.
Let’s check it out! The Tomahawk land-attack cruise
missile or (TLAM) is an American-made low-flying strategic guided missile that used by the United
States Navy and Royal Navy launched from naval ships or submarines to strike targets on land.
It flies at low altitudes to strike fixed targets, such as communication and air-defense sites,
in high-risk environments where manned aircraft may be vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles.
TLAM is a long-range, unmanned weapon with an accuracy of about 5 meters. The 5.6 meters long
missile ranges up to approximately 2,400 km and can travel as fast as 885 km per hour.
The missiles are approximately 21 feet long, weigh 1.5 tons, 51.8cm diameter, 2.67m wingspan
and be launched from traditional torpedo tubes and vertical launch tubes on modern submarines.
Once the Tomahawk is in the air, the turbojet engine kicks in, and its wings spread,
allowing it to reach speeds of 500 miles per hour. It has a life span of 30 years.
Well, the price of this latest missile is $1,537,645 per unit.
TLAM was used extensively during Desert Storm in 1991, in Iraq in January and June 1993,
in Bosnia (Deliberate Force) in 1995, and Iraq (Desert Strike) in 1996.
Four hundred Block II and Block III missiles were fired on five separate occasions. Two submarines
and many surface ships fired TLAM during the Gulf War. According to initial US Navy reports, 297
attempted cruise missile launches, 290 missiles fired, and 242 Tomahawks hit their targets.
At least six variants and multiple upgraded versions have been introduced since then,
including air, sub, and ground-launched variants and conventional and nuclear-armed ones. As of
2019, only non-nuclear, sea-launched variants assembled by Raytheon are currently in service.
TLAM is a highly survivable weapon. Radar detection is difficult because
of the missile’s small cross-section, low altitude flight. The Tomahawk Block
IV uses GPS navigation and a satellite data link to continue through a pre-set course.
The missile can be reprogrammed in flight to a new target. The two-way satellite
communications are used to perform post-launch mission changes throughout the flight.
The onboard camera provides imagery of the target to the commanders before the strike.
Now, let's have a look at Tomahawk’s Guidance and Navigation.
The sophisticated guidance system uses a combination of GPS, Terrain Contour Matching
(TERCOM), Time of Arrival (TOA) control, and Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC)
to pinpoint their targets with better accuracy. The TERCOM radar uses a stored map reference
to compare with the actual terrain to determine the missile’s position. If necessary, a course
correction is then made to place the missile on course to the target. The Tactical Tomahawk
Weapons Control System (TTWCS) integrated within the ship’s systems computes the path to engage
targets. The system enables the planning of new missions onboard the launch vessel.
TTWCS is also used to communicate with multiple missiles for reassigning the
targets and redirecting the rockets in flight. Terminal guidance in the target area is provided
by the DSMAC system, which compares a stored image captured by the missile while in flight
toward its target and matches them to pictures taken before the flight, during mission planning.
TERCOM compares images from a previously acquired contour map and compares them with
measurements that a radar altimeter makes onboard the missile. Based on input for
the terrain-matching algorithm, the system can update its inertial navigation system,
a set of sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure rotation to reorient itself.
Tomahawk missiles can also make real-time updates to their position.
The missile sends constant emails back to the controlling agency for getting updated
guidance via essentially a data email back to the missile. If something in the terrain changes or
the mission gets cancelled, the missile can be redirected via a simple command.
The accurate navigation allows the missiles to fly low to the ground,
meaning they can fly closer to other objects and evade foreign military radar detection.
As it closes in on its target, the missile drops to an altitude of 100 feet or less
before impact. Therefore, TLAM can be launched from great distances, with pinpoint accuracy,
minimizing risk to personnel and civilians. They can also take a nonlinear route to a target,
which makes them well-suited for evading dangerous areas en route to a target. Their ability to take
a nonlinear course also means multiple missiles can be launched from different locations and
all land at the target at the same time. Raytheon, which manufactures the Tomahawk
missiles, is currently developing an updated version of the missile that could have
two-way satellite communication with objects on the ground, such as tanks and ships, and
more robust and sophisticated navigation systems. Tomahawk missile can take reconnaissance pictures
after reaching a designated area and send them to the HQ via SATCOM and wait for their instructions.
It can be loitered until the target is ‘clear to engage. With DSMAC, a picture of a discrete target
can be uploaded in a confined region and have Tomahawks specifically find and hunt them down.
In the last point, we need to discuss the Tomahawk Block V Upgrade
The Tomahawk Block IV missiles were converted and upgraded to Block V in 2017.
The upgraded Tomahawk includes extended range, enhanced navigation and communication systems,
and modernized datalink radio.US Navy will use the upgraded Tomahawk cruise missiles beyond 2040.
Raytheon was contracted to integrate the upgraded navigation and communication
systems into the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) missile in March 2020. The upgraded
version is known as the Block V TACTOM. What sets the Tomahawk apart from other
types of munitions is that combination of size, speed, distance, and trajectory.
Conventional saturation bombing, in which hundreds of bombs are dropped from a plane,
is powerful but inaccurate. Saturation bombing also requires the use of a pilot and crew,
which endangers personnel. Ballistic missiles, like the Scud, can travel greater distances at
faster speeds but need much bigger launching pads and a lot more fuel,
meaning they can’t be used covertly. TLAM is smaller and flies lower than other missiles,
making them harder to detect and intercept. Like a lot of weapons in America’s arsenal,
the Tomahawk missile is old, at least in concept. What started out as a nuclear-capable missile
can now hunt down warships at 1,000 miles and attack hardened underground targets.
The missile’s ability to adapt with the times, take on new roles,
and reinvent itself means it will be a potent weapon system for easily another decade to come.
Thanks for watching and see you in the next videos.