The uUS Navy's new tomahawk missile is a
ship killer. the tomahawk cruise missile
has been a staple of u.s naval power
since the early 1980s hitting targets on
land in many conflicts over the decades.
the subsonic missile is typically
launched from u.s navy ships and
raytheon.
The tomahawk manufacturer
claims that more than 2,300 tomahawks
have been fired in anger since the
missile was introduced into american
service.
Currently the most advanced tomahawk in
u.s service is the block 4 variant. This Tomahawk is equipped with a data
link that allows for on-the-fly
retargeting. it also has a long loiter capability
which allows the missile to wait for an
opportune time to hit a target. It can also change course on command
keeping a human operator in the loop.
Since introduced into service the
tomahawk has been steadily upgraded and
the new tomahawks will be even more
potent. The block 5 tomahawk successfully
completed flight tests earlier last year
and featured communications and
navigation improvements.
During the flight tests the tomahawks
were redirected to new targets while in
mid-flight. the new block 5 tomahawks are actually a
group of three sub-variants, which
according to raytheon are categorized as
follows.
Block 5, a modernized tactum with
upgraded navigation and communication. Block 5A, block 5 that can strike moving
targets at
sea. Block 5B, block 5 with a joint
multi-effects warhead that can hit more
diverse land targets.
These tests keep the navy on schedule to
introduce block 5 into the fleet next
year, said a raytheon vice president
commenting after last year's tomahawk
block 5 trials. Our modernization and recertification
efforts will also extend the missile
service life by 15 years.
In addition to longer service life, the
new Tomahawks range is expected to be
longer as well, estimated at greater than
1,000 miles and would be particularly
useful in the indo-pacific region, where
advancements in china's missile range
capabilities are seen as a threat by the
navy, it's not just the navy that has a
clear use for the missile however the U.S Marine Corps or USMC would also have
a use for the powerful long-range weapon.
As part of the marine corps shift back
to their amphibious heritage from long, grinding land wars in the middle east. the corps would like to hold chinese
surface ships at risk from increasingly
distant ranges.
One of the elements of their force
posture redesign would see groups of
marines stationed on remote specs of
land throughout the pacific ocean, armed
with long-range anti-ship missiles and
denying the island's use to an opposing
force. you can read more about the core
strategy in the pacific in this previous
national interest piece.
While the USMC is making great
strides in that direction, the block 5
tomahawks 1000 plus range would quite
literally go a long way in countering an
increasingly large chinese fleet
