After the Second World War, a rather difficult situation developed in the Western fleets. On the one hand, there were no problems with their number. On the other hand, there were difficulties with their qualitative composition. At that time, our country already had ships with powerful missile weapons, while the Western powers did not even have that. The basis of their fleets were ships armed with old artillery systems and torpedoes.
At that time, all this looked like a terrible anachronism. The only exceptions were the cruiser (the prototype of our TAKR) "Long Beach" and the nuclear aircraft carrier "Enterprise". That is why, at the end of the 60s, feverish work began on the creation of guided cruise missiles, which were capable of dramatically increasing the combat capability of the fleets. This is how the Tomahawk cruise missile was born.
First experiences
Of course, work in this direction was carried out even before that period, so the first samples appeared quite quickly, being based on relatively old developments. The very first option was a 55-inch missile designed for use with Polaris-type launchers, which by that time were already supposed to be retired. She was supposed to be able to fly 3,000 miles. The use of outdated launchers made it possible to get by with "little blood" when re-equipping old ships.
The second option was a smaller 21-inch missile designed to be launched from submarine torpedo tubes. It was assumed that in this case the flight range would be about 1500 miles. Simply put, the cruise missile (USA) "Tomahawk" would become the trump card that would allow blackmailing the Soviet fleet. Did the Americans achieve their goal? Let's find out.
Competition Winners
In 1972 (phenomenal speed, by the way), the final version of the launcher for new cruise missiles was already selected. At the same time, the provision on their exclusively naval basing was finally approved. In January, the state commission has already selected two of the most promising candidates to participate in full-scale tests. The first contender was the products of the well-known company General Dynamics.
It was the UBGM-109A model. The second sample was released by a little-known (and poorly lobbied) company LTV: the UBGM-110A missile. In 1976, they began to be tested by running mock-ups from a submarine. In general, none of the higher ranks made a secret of the fact that the winners had already recognized the 109A model in absentia.
In early March, the State Commission decided that it was the American Tomahawk cruise missile that should become the main caliber of all US surface ships. Four years later, the first launch of a prototype is made from the side of an American destroyer. In June of the same year, successful flight tests of the boat version of the rocket took place. This was a big event in the history of the entire history of the fleet, as it was the first launch from a submarine. Over the next three years, new weapons were intensively studied and tested, about a hundred launches were made.
In 1983, Pentagon officials announced that the new Tomahawk cruise missile was fully tested and ready for mass production. Around the same time, domestic developments in similar areas were in full swing. We think you will be interested to know about comparative characteristics domestic equipment and weapons of a possible enemy of the times cold war. So, cruise missiles "Tomahawk" and "Caliber", comparison.
Comparison with Caliber
- Hull length without launch booster ("Tomahawk" / "Caliber") - 5.56 / 7.2 m.
- Length with starting amplifier - 6.25 / 8.1 m.
- Wingspan - 2.67 / 3.3 m.
- The mass of a non-nuclear warhead is 450 kg (USA / RF).
- The power of the nuclear version is 150/100-200 kT.
- The flight speed of the Tomahawk cruise missile is 0.7 M.
- The speed of "Caliber" - 0.7 M.
But in terms of flight range, it is impossible to make an unambiguous comparison. The fact is that both new and old modifications of missiles are in service. The old ones are equipped only with a nuclear warhead and can fly up to 2.6 thousand km. The new ones carry a non-nuclear warhead, the range of the Tomahawk cruise missile is up to 1.6 thousand km. Domestic "Caliber" can carry both types of filling, the flight range is 2.5 / 1.5 thousand km, respectively. In general, according to this indicator, the characteristics of weapons practically do not differ in any way.
This is what the Tomahawk and Caliber cruise missiles are characterized by. Comparing them shows that the capabilities of both types of weapons are approximately identical. This is especially true for speed. The Americans have always noted that this indicator is higher for their missiles. But the latest Caliber upgrades fly no slower.
Basic Specifications
The new model of weapons is made according to the monoplane aircraft scheme. The body is cylindrical, the fairing is ogive. The wing can be folded and recessed into a special compartment located in the central part of the rocket, a cruciform stabilizer is located behind. For the manufacture of the case are various options for aluminum alloys, epoxy resins and carbon fiber. All of them have extremely low aerodynamic resistance, since the speed of the Tomahawk cruise missile is very high. Any “roughness” with such characteristics is dangerous, since the body can simply fall apart on the go.
To minimize the visibility of the device for locators, a special coating is applied to the entire surface of the case. In general, in this regard, the Tomahawk cruise missile (the photo of which you will see in the article) is noticeably better than its competitors. Although experts agree that the prevailing role in ensuring invisibility to locators belongs to the flight pattern, in which the rocket flies, making maximum use of the terrain, and at a minimum height.
Characteristics of the warhead
The main "highlight" of the rocket is the W-80 warhead. Its weight is 123 kilograms, its length is one meter, and its diameter is 30 cm. The maximum detonation power is 200 kT. The explosion occurs after direct contact of the fuse with the target. When using a nuclear weapon, the diameter of destruction in a densely populated area can reach three kilometers.
One of the most important features that distinguishes the Tomahawk cruise missile is the very high guidance accuracy, due to which this ammunition is able to hit small and maneuvering targets. The probability of this is from 0.85 to 1.0 (depending on the base and the place of launch). Simply put, the accuracy of the Tomahawk cruise missile is very high. A non-nuclear warhead has some armor-piercing effect, it can include up to 166 small-caliber bombs. The weight of each charge in this case is 1.5 kilograms, all of them are in 24 bundles.
Control and targeting systems
High targeting accuracy is ensured by the combined operation of several telemetry systems at once:
- The simplest of them is inertial.
- The TERCOM system is responsible for following the contours of the terrain.
- The DSMAC electro-optical binding service allows you to bring a flying missile directly to the target with exceptional accuracy.
Characteristics of control circuits
The simplest system is the inertial one. The mass of this equipment is 11 kilograms, it works only at the initial and middle stages of the flight. It consists of: an on-board computer, an inertial platform and a fairly simple altimeter, which is based on a reliable barometer. Three gyroscopes determine the amount of deviation of the rocket body from a given course and three accelerometers, with the help of which the on-board electronics determines the acceleration of these accelerations with high accuracy. This system alone allows for a course correction of approximately 800 meters per hour of flight.
Much more reliable and accurate than DSMAC, the most advanced version of which is the Tomahawk BGM 109 A cruise missile. It should be noted that for the operation of this equipment, a digitized survey of the area over which the Tomahawk will fly over must first be loaded into the memory of the equipment. This allows you to set the binding not only to the coordinates, but also to the terrain. A similar scheme, by the way, is used not only by the American Tomahawk cruise missile, but also by the domestic Granit.
About launch methods and settings
On ships, both standard torpedo tubes and special vertical launch silos (as for submarines) can be used to store and launch this type of weapon. If we talk about surface ships, then container launchers are mounted on them. It should be noted that the ship's cruise missile "Tomahawk", the characteristics of which we are considering, is stored in a special steel capsule, being "mothballed" in a layer of nitrogen under high pressure.
Storage in such conditions not only allows you to guarantee the normal operation of the device for 30 months at once, but also to place it in a conventional torpedo shaft without the slightest modifications to the design of the latter.
Features of launch mechanisms
American submarines have four standard torpedo tubes. They are located two on each side. The location angle is 10-12 degrees, which makes it possible to carry out a torpedo salvo from the maximum depth. This circumstance can significantly reduce the unmasking factors. The tube of each apparatus consists of three sections. As in domestic torpedo silos, American missiles are located on supporting rollers and guides. Firing is initiated depending on the opening or closing of the cover of the device, which makes it impossible to "shot in the foot" when the torpedo explodes in the submarine itself.
On the back cover of the torpedo tube there is a viewing window, with which you can monitor the filling of its cavity and the state of the mechanisms, with a pressure gauge. The conclusions from the ship's electronics are also attached there, which controls the processes of opening the covers of the apparatus, their closing and the direct launch process. The Tomahawk cruise missile (you will read its characteristics in the article) is fired from the mine due to the operation of hydraulic drives. One hydraulic cylinder is installed for every two vehicles on each side, it works as follows:
- First, a certain volume of compressed air is supplied to the system, which acts simultaneously on the hydraulic cylinder rod.
- Due to this, he begins to supply water to the cavity of the torpedo tubes.
- Since they fill with water quickly, starting from the rear section, an overpressure is created in the cavity, sufficient to push the rocket or torpedo.
- The whole structure is made in such a way that only one apparatus can be connected to the pressure tank at a time (that is, two on both sides). This prevents uneven filling of the cavities of the torpedo shafts.
As we have already said, in the case of surface ships, vertically located launch containers are used. In their case, there is an expelling powder charge, which allows you to slightly increase the flight range of the Tomahawk cruise missile by saving the resource of its sustainer engine.
Shooting process management
For carrying out all the preparatory stages and, in fact, the launch, not only the specialists standing at combat posts are responsible, but also the fire control system (aka CMS). Its components are located both in the torpedo room itself and on the command bridge. Of course, you can only give the order to launch from a central point. Redundant instruments are also displayed there, showing the characteristics of the rocket and its readiness for launch in real time.
One important feature of the American naval formations should be noted. They use a sophisticated automated adjustment and integration system. Simply put, several submarines and surface ships armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the performance characteristics of which are available in the article, can act as a single “organism” and fire missiles at the same target almost simultaneously. Given the high probability of hitting, even an enemy ship or ground grouping with a powerful and layered air defense system will almost certainly be destroyed.
Cruise missile launch
After the launch order is received, pre-flight preparation begins, which should take no more than 20 minutes. At the same moment, the pressure in the torpedo tube is compared with that at the depth of immersion, so that nothing interferes with the launch of the rocket.
All data required for firing is entered. When a signal arrives, the hydraulics push the rocket out of the silo. It always comes to the surface at an angle of about 50 degrees, which is achieved as a result of the stabilization systems. Shortly thereafter, the squibs drop the fairings, the wings and stabilizers open, and the main engine is turned on.
During this time, the rocket manages to take off to a height of approximately 600 m. On the main part of the trajectory, the flight altitude does not exceed 60 meters, and the speed reaches 885 km / h. First, guidance and course correction is carried out by an inertial system.
Modernization works
At present, the Americans are working to increase the flight range up to three or four thousand kilometers at once. It is planned to achieve such indicators through the use of new engines, fuel, as well as reducing the mass of the rocket itself. Research is already underway to create new materials based on carbon fiber that will be very strong and light, but at the same time cheap enough to be mass-produced.
Secondly, it is planned to significantly improve the accuracy of targeting. This is supposed to be achieved through the introduction of new modules into the design of the rocket, responsible for accurate satellite positioning.
Thirdly, the Americans would not mind increasing the launch depth from 60 meters to (at least) 90-120 meters. If they succeed, the launch of the Tomahawk will become even more difficult to detect. I must say that domestic designers are currently working on almost the same tasks, but in relation to our "Granite". In addition, work is underway in the field of reducing the radar visibility of the missile and counteracting air defense systems.
For this purpose, it is planned to use more powerful computer systems for close interaction with their interference suppression devices. If all this works in combination, and the speed is also increased, then the Tomahawks will be able to effectively pass through many layered air defense systems.
A unique feature of modern American-made missile launchers is the ability to use them as UAVs: the missile can fly near the intended target for at least 3.5 hours, and during this time it transmits all received data to the control center.
Combat use
For the first time, new missiles were widely used during the notorious Operation Desert Storm, which was initiated in 1991 and directed against the Iraqi authorities. The Americans launched 288 Tomahawks from submarines and ships of the surface flotilla. It is believed that at least 85% of them have achieved the set goals. During the numerous military conflicts in which the United States has participated from 1991 to the present, they have spent at least 2,000 cruise missiles of various modifications. However, only non-nuclear munitions were used in this case.
Historians often call the international policy of Western countries (primarily England) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries “gunboat diplomacy” for the desire to solve foreign policy problems with the help of the threat of military force. If we follow this analogy, then the foreign policy of the United States and its allies in the last quarter of the 20th century and the beginning of this century can be safely called "tomahawk diplomacy." In this phrase, "tomahawk" means not a favorite weapon of the indigenous population. North America, but the legendary cruise missile, which the Americans regularly use during various local conflicts for several decades now.
This missile system began to be developed in the first half of the 70s of the last century, it was put into service in 1983 and since then it has been used in all conflicts in which the United States took part. Since the adoption of the Tomahawk, dozens of modifications of this cruise missile have been created, which can be used to destroy a wide variety of targets. Today, the fourth-generation BGM-109 missiles are in service with the US Navy, and their further improvement continues.
Tomahawks proved so effective that today they are almost synonymous with cruise missiles. More than 2,000 missiles were used in different conflicts, and despite some misses and failures, these weapons proved to be very effective.
A little about the history of the Tomahawk rocket
Any cruise missile (CR) is, in fact, a flying bomb (by the way, the first samples of these weapons were called that), a disposable unmanned aerial vehicle.
The history of the creation of this type of weapon began at the beginning of the 20th century, before the outbreak of the First World War. However, the technical level of that time did not allow the production of operating systems.
Mankind owes the appearance of the first mass-produced cruise missile to the gloomy Teutonic genius: it was launched into series during the Second World War. "V-1" took Active participation in hostilities - the Nazis used these missiles for attacks on British territory.
"V-1" was equipped with an air-jet engine, its warhead weighed from 750 to 1000 kilograms, and the flight range reached from 250 to 400 kilometers.
The Germans called the V-1 a "weapon of retaliation", and it was indeed very effective. This rocket was simple and relatively cheap (compared to the V-2). The price of one product was only 3.5 thousand Reichsmarks - about 1% of the cost of a bomber with a similar bomb load.
However, no "miracle weapon" could no longer save the Nazis from defeat. In 1945, all the developments of the Nazis in the field of rocket weapons fell into the hands of the Allies.
In the USSR, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was engaged in the development of cruise missiles immediately after the end of the war, then another talented person worked in this direction for many years. Soviet designer- Vladimir Chelomey. After the beginning of the nuclear era, all work in the field of creating missile weapons immediately acquired the status of strategic ones, because it was missiles that were considered as the main carrier of weapons of mass destruction.
In the 1950s, the USSR was developing the Burya intercontinental cruise missile, which had two stages and was designed to deliver nuclear charges. However, work was stopped for economic reasons. In addition, it was during this period that real successes were achieved in the field of creating ballistic missiles.
The US also developed the SM-62 Snark cruise missile with an intercontinental range, it was even on alert for some time, but was later withdrawn from service. It became clear that at that time ballistic missiles turned out to be a much more effective means of delivering a nuclear charge.
The development of cruise missiles in the Soviet Union continued, but now the designers were given slightly different tasks. Soviet generals believed that such weapons were an excellent means of fighting against the ships of a potential enemy, and they were especially worried about their American aircraft carrier strike groups (AUG).
Enormous resources were invested in the development of anti-ship missile weapons, thanks to which the Granite, Malachite, Mosquito and Onyx anti-ship missiles appeared. Today, the Russian Armed Forces have the most advanced models of anti-ship cruise missiles; no other army in the world has anything like it.
Creation of the Tomahawk
In 1971, American admirals inspired the development of submarine-launched strategic sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs).
Initially, it was supposed to create two types of KR: a heavy missile with a range of up to 5500 km and launched from SSBN rocket launchers (55 inches in diameter) and a lighter version that could be launched directly from torpedo tubes (21 inches). Light KR was supposed to have a range of 2500 kilometers. Both missiles had subsonic flight speeds.
In 1972, a lighter rocket option was chosen and the developers were given the task of creating new rocket SLCM (Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile).
In 1974, the two most promising cruise missiles were selected for demonstration launches, they turned out to be the projects of General Dynamics and Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The projects were given the abbreviations ZBGM-109A and ZBGM-110A, respectively.
Two launches of the product created at LTV ended in failure, so the General Dynamics rocket was declared the winner of the competition, and work on the ZBGM-110A was stopped. The revision of the CD has begun. During the same period, the leadership of the US Navy decided that the new missile should be able to launch from surface ships, so the meaning of the acronym (SLCM) was changed. Now the missile system being developed has become known as the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile, that is, "sea-launched cruise missile."
However, this was not the last introductory that the developers faced. missile system.
In 1977, the American leadership initiated a new program in the field of missile weapons - JCMP (Joint Cruise Missile Project), the purpose of which was to create a single (for the Air Force and Navy) cruise missile. During this period, the development of air-based missiles was actively underway, and the combination of two programs into one became the reason for the use of a single Williams F107 turbofan engine and an identical navigation system in all missiles.
Initially, the naval missile was developed in three different versions, the main differences of which were their warhead. A version with a nuclear warhead was created, an anti-ship missile with a conventional warhead and a missile with a conventional warhead, designed to strike ground targets.
In 1980, the first test of a naval modification of the missile was carried out: at the beginning of the year, a missile was launched from a destroyer, and a little later, the Tomahawk was launched from a submarine. Both launches were successful.
Over the next three years, more than a hundred launches of Tomahawks of various modifications took place, based on the results of these tests, a recommendation was issued on the adoption of the missile system for service.
Navigation system BGM-109 Tomahawk
The main problem of using cruise missiles against objects located on land was the imperfection of guidance systems. That is why cruise missiles have been practically synonymous with anti-ship weapons for a very long time. Radar guidance systems perfectly distinguished surface ships against the background of a flat sea surface, but they were not suitable for hitting ground targets.
The creation of the TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching) guidance and course correction system was a real breakthrough that made it possible to create the Tomahawk rocket. What is this system and on what principles does it work?
TERCOM operation is based on the verification of altimeter data with a digital map earth's surface embedded in the onboard computer of the rocket.
This gives the Tomahawk several advantages at once, which made this weapon so effective:
- Flight at an extremely low altitude with enveloping the terrain. This ensures high stealth of the missile and the difficulty of destroying it with air defense systems. You can only discover the Tomahawk at the last moment, when it's too late to do anything. It is no less difficult to see a missile from above against the background of the earth: the range of its detection by an aircraft does not exceed several tens of kilometers.
- Complete autonomy of flight and targeting: Tomahawk uses information about uneven terrain to correct the course. The only way to fool a rocket is by changing it, which is impossible.
However, the TERCOM system also has disadvantages:
- The navigation system cannot be used over the water surface; before the start of the flight over land, the CR is controlled using gyroscopes.
- The efficiency of the system is reduced over flat, low-contrast terrain, where the height difference is insignificant (steppe, desert, tundra).
- Enough high value circular probable deviation (CEP). It was about 90 meters. For missiles with nuclear warheads, this was not a problem, but the use of conventional warheads made such an error problematic.
In 1986, an additional DSMAC (Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation) navigation and flight correction system was installed on the Tomahawks. It was from this moment that the Tomahawk turned from a weapon of thermonuclear Armageddon into a threat to everyone who does not like democracy and does not share Western values. The new modification of the rocket was named RGM / UGM-109C Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile.
How does DSMAC work? The cruise missile enters the attack zone using the TERCOM system, and then begins to compare images of the area with digital photographs embedded in the onboard computer. Using this method of guidance, the missile can hit a separate small building - the KVO of the new modification has dropped to 10 meters.
Cruise missiles with a similar guidance system also had two modifications: Block-II attacked the selected target at a strafing flight, while Block-IIA, before hitting the target, made a “slide” and dived onto the object, and could also be remotely detonated directly above it.
However, after installing additional sensors and increasing the mass of warheads, the flight range of the RGM / UGM-109C Tomahawk was reduced from 2500 km to 1200. Therefore, in 1993, a new modification appeared - Block-III, which had a reduced mass of warheads (while maintaining its power) and more advanced engine, which increased the range of the Tomahawk to 1600 km. In addition, Block-III became the first missile to receive a guidance system using GPS.
Modifications "Tomahawks"
Taking into account the active use of Tomahawks, the US military leadership set the manufacturer the task of significantly reducing the cost of their product and improving some of its characteristics. This is how the RGM / UGM-109E Tactical Tomahawk appeared, which was put into service in 2004.
This rocket used a cheaper plastic body, a simpler engine, which almost halved its cost. At the same time, the Ax became even more deadly and dangerous.
The rocket used more advanced electronics, it is equipped with an inertial guidance system, a TERCOM system, as well as DSMAC (with the ability to use infrared terrain imaging) and GPS. In addition, the tactical Tomahawk uses a two-way UHF satellite communication system, which allows you to retarget weapons in flight. A TV camera installed on the CD makes it possible to assess the state of the target in real time and make decisions about continuing the attack or hitting another object.
Today, the Tactical Tomahawk is the main modification of the missile in service with the US Navy.
The next generation Tomahawk is currently being developed. The developers promise to eliminate the most serious drawback inherent in the current modifications in the new missile: the inability to hit moving sea and ground targets. In addition, the new Ax will be equipped with a modern millimeter-wave radar.
Application of BGM-109 Tomahawk
"Tomahawk" was used in all the conflicts of recent decades, in which the United States took part. The first serious test for this weapon was the Gulf War in 1991. During the Iraqi campaign, almost 300 KR were fired, the vast majority of which successfully completed the task.
Later, Tomahawks were used in several smaller-scale operations against Iraq, then there was the war in Yugoslavia, the second Iraqi campaign (2003), as well as the operation of NATO forces against Libya. Tomahawks were also used during the conflict in Afghanistan.
Currently, BGM-109 missiles are in service with the US and British Armed Forces. Holland and Spain showed interest in this missile system, but the deal never took place.
Device BGM-109 Tomahawk
The cruise missile "Tomahawk" is a monoplane equipped with two small folding wings in the central part and a cruciform stabilizer in the tail. The fuselage is cylindrical. The rocket has a subsonic flight speed.
The body consists of aluminum alloys and (or) special plastic with low radar visibility.
The control and guidance system is combined, it consists of three components:
- inertial;
- according to the terrain (TERCOM);
- electron-optical (DSMAC);
- using GPS.
On anti-ship modifications is a radar guidance system.
To launch missiles from submarines, torpedo tubes (for older modifications) or special launchers are used. For launching from surface ships, special launchers Mk143 or UVP Mk41 are used.
At the head of the CD is a guidance and flight control system, behind it is a warhead and a fuel tank. At the rear of the rocket is a bypass turbojet engine with a retractable air intake.
An accelerator is attached to the tail section, which gives the initial acceleration. He takes the rocket to a height of 300-400 meters, after which it separates. Then the tail fairing is dropped, the stabilizer and wings are opened, the sustainer engine is turned on. The rocket reaches a predetermined height (15-50 m) and speed (880 km/h). This speed is quite low for a rocket, but it allows the most economical use of fuel.
Warhead missiles can be very different: nuclear, semi-armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation, cluster, penetrating or concrete-piercing. The mass of warheads of different modifications of the rocket also differs.
Advantages and disadvantages of the BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is undoubtedly a highly effective weapon. Versatile, cheap, capable of solving many problems. Of course, he has flaws, but there are many more pluses.
Advantages:
- due to the low flight altitude and the use of special materials, Tomahawks are a serious problem for air defense systems;
- rockets have a very high accuracy;
- these weapons are not subject to cruise missile agreements;
- CR "Tomahawk" have a low cost of maintenance (when compared with ballistic missiles);
- this weapon is relatively cheap to manufacture: the cost of one missile in 2014 was $1.45 million, for some modifications it can reach $2 million;
- versatility: different types of combat units, as well as different methods of hitting objects, allow the Tomahawk to be used against a wide variety of targets.
If we compare the cost of using these missiles with conducting a full-scale air operation using hundreds of aircraft, suppressing enemy air defense and jamming, then it will seem simply ridiculous. The current modifications of these missiles can quickly and effectively destroy stationary enemy targets: airfields, headquarters, warehouses and communications centers. Very successfully used "Tomahawks" and against the civilian infrastructure of the enemy.
Using these missiles, you can quickly drive the country "into the Stone Age", and turn its army into an unorganized crowd. The task of the Tomahawks is to deliver the first blow to the enemy, to prepare the conditions for further aviation work or a military invasion.
The current modifications of the Ax also have disadvantages:
- low flight speed;
- the range of a conventional missile is lower than that of a missile with a nuclear warhead (2,500 versus 1,600 km);
- inability to attack moving targets.
It can also be added that the KR cannot maneuver with large overloads to counter air defense systems, as well as use decoys.
At the moment, work on the modernization of the cruise missile continues. They are aimed at extending the range of its flight, increasing the warhead, and also to make the missile even smarter. The latest modifications of the "Tomahawks", in fact, are real UAVs: they can barrage in a given area for 3.5 hours, choosing the most worthy "victim" for themselves. In this case, all the data collected by the sensors of the CD are transmitted to the control point.
Specifications BGM-109 Tomahawk
If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.
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The sea-launched Tomahawk missile system includes surface-launched or underwater-launched cruise missiles, launchers, a missile fire control system, and ancillary equipment.
Cruise missile (CR) "Tomahawk" BGM-109 was created in two main versions: strategic (modifications A,C,D) - for firing at ground targets and tactical (modifications B, E) - for the destruction of surface ships. Their structural design and flight performance are identical. All variants, due to the modular principle of construction, differ from each other only in the head part.
Compound
The cruise missile is made according to the aircraft scheme (monoplane), has a cylindrical body with an ogive nose fairing, a wing that folds and sinks into the body in the central part and a cruciform stabilizer in the tail. The case is made of durable aluminum alloys, graphite-epoxy plastic and radio-transparent materials. To reduce radar visibility, a special coating is applied to the hull, wing and stabilizer.
The warhead of the Tomahawk BGM-109A strategic nuclear missile launcher is the W-80 warhead (weight 123kg, length about 1m, diameter 0.27m and power 200kt). Undermining is carried out by a contact fuse. The radius of the destruction zone is 3 km. The high firing accuracy and significant power of the nuclear warhead of the Tomahawk BGM-109A strategic cruise missile make it possible to hit heavily protected small targets with high efficiency. According to American experts, the probability of destroying a protected object that can withstand an overpressure of 70 kg/cm 2 is 0.85 for one Tomahawk missile, and 0.10 for a Poseidon-SZ SLBM.
The BGM-109C strategic non-nuclear missile launcher is equipped with a monoblock (semi-armor-piercing) warhead, and the BGM-109D is equipped with a cluster bomb, which includes up to 166 BLU-97B small-caliber bombs of combined action (each weighing 1.5 kg) in 24 bundles.
The Tomahawk BGM-109 A / C / D control and guidance system is a combination of the following subsystems (see diagram):
- inertial,
- correlation along the terrain contour TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching),
- electron-optical correlation DSMAC (Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator).
The inertial control subsystem operates in the initial and middle sections of the rocket flight (weight 11 kg). It includes an onboard computer, an inertial platform and a barometric altimeter. The inertial platform consists of three gyroscopes for measuring the angular deviations of the rocket in the coordinate system and three accelerometers that determine the acceleration of these deviations. The subsystem provides determination of the position of the CD with an accuracy of 0.8 km per 1 hour of flight.
The control and guidance system of strategic missiles with conventional warheads BGM-109C and D includes an electro-optical correlation subsystem DSMAC, which can significantly improve the accuracy of fire (KVO - up to 10m). It uses digital pictures of previously captured areas of the terrain along the route of the RC flight.
To store and launch Tomahawk missiles, submarines use standard torpedo tubes (TA) or special vertical launch installations (VLR) Mk45 (see diagram, photo), and on surface ships, container-type installations Mk143 (see diagram, photo1, photo2) or UVP Mk41.
To store the boat version of the rocket, a steel capsule (weight 454 kg) is used, filled with nitrogen under low pressure (see,). This allows you to keep the rocket ready for use for 30 months. The rocket capsule is loaded into the TA or UVP like a regular torpedo.
American submarines have four bow hydraulic TTs, placed side by side (two each) at an angle of 10-12 ° to the center plane of the ship and provide firing from great depths, which significantly reduces unmasking factors. TA pipes are made of three sections: bow, center and stern. Loading and correct positioning of the capsule with CR in the TA pipes are carried out with the help of guide bars and supporting rollers. The firing mechanism is connected to the drives for opening and closing the covers of the apparatus. The back cover is equipped with a water-measuring and viewing window that allows you to monitor the filling (drainage) of the TA, a pressure gauge, as well as a cable gland connecting the control devices of the KR with the firing control panel. The hydraulic firing system of the KR has an impulse air cylinder high pressure, hydraulic booster and water system heater. A hydraulic cylinder is installed on each group of two TA pipes of one side. The hydraulic system operates as follows. When high-pressure air is supplied from the ship's main line to the air cylinder, simultaneously with the movement of its piston, the hydraulic cylinder piston sitting on the same rod with it moves. The latter works for his TA group and supplies water to them through an injection tank, which is connected to each apparatus through slotted slots. When the piston moves, water from the injection tank under pressure first enters the aft part of the TA pipe, and then through the holes into the capsule, creating the excess pressure necessary to eject the rocket from the TA. The drive levers for opening the front covers of the HE are interlocked in such a way that only one cover in the group can be opened at a time, and therefore, one apparatus will be connected to the injection tank.
Fire control, control over the state of the CR in the TA and UVP, their verification, launch coordination and accounting for the consumption of missiles are carried out using the fire control system (SMS). Its components on the submarine are located in the central post and the torpedo room. In the central post of the boat there is a control panel, a computer and a data conversion unit. Display of information and output of control data are made on the display panel of the control panel. On surface ships, the CMS is stored in a container installed in the ship's weapons control room. The system uses software and computer interfaces that allow you to issue target designation and coordinate the firing of Tomahawk missiles at ground targets from one ship to other ships of a formation or group.
The functioning of the missile system is as follows. Upon receiving an order to use missile weapons, the commander announces an alarm and puts the ship on high technical readiness. The pre-launch preparation of the missile system begins, which takes about 20 minutes. On a submarine, when firing from a TA, sea water is fed into the tube of the apparatus and through the holes enters the capsule with the CD. At this moment, a device begins to operate in the rocket, which creates an excess pressure inside its body, approximately equal to the external one, which protects the CR body from deformation. The boat goes to the launch depth (30-60m) and reduces the speed to a few knots. The data necessary for firing are entered into the control and guidance system of the CD. Then the cover of the TA opens, the hydraulic ejection system of the CR is activated, and the rocket is pushed out of the capsule. The latter is ejected from the TA tube some time after the rocket exits. The rocket is connected to the container with a 12m long halyard, when it breaks (after 5 seconds of passing the underwater section of the trajectory), the protection stage is removed and the starting solid propellant rocket engine is switched on. As the water column passes, the pressure inside the CR body decreases to normal (atmospheric), and it emerges from under the water to the surface at an angle of 50°.
When firing from the UVP Mk45, the shaft cover opens, the rocket ejection system is turned on, and the excess pressure created by the gas generator pushes the rocket out of the shaft. When exiting, it destroys the membrane of the capsule that held back the pressure of sea water, vertically goes to the surface and, having made a turn, switches to the programmed flight path. After 4-6s after the release of the CR from under the water or with the end of the launch solid propellant rocket launcher, the tail thermal fairing is dropped by pyrotechnic charges and the rocket stabilizer is opened. During this time, the KR reaches a height of 300-400m. Then, on the descending branch of the launch section, about 4 km long, the wing panels open, the air intake extends, the starting solid propellant rocket is fired at the expense of the pyrobolts, the sustainer engine is turned on, and the cruise missile switches to the specified flight path (60 seconds after the start). The flight altitude of the rocket is reduced to 15-60m, and the speed is up to 885km/h. The control of the missile during its flight over the sea is carried out by the inertial control subsystem, which ensures the launch of the CR to the first correction area (as a rule, it is several kilometers away from the coast). The size of this area depends on the accuracy of determining the location of the launch platform and the error of the inertial control subsystem of the CR, accumulated during the flight of the rocket over the water surface.
Along with equipping ships missile weapons"Tomahawk" The United States is conducting a large-scale program for the development and improvement of sea-based cruise missiles, which provides for:
- Increasing the firing range to 3-4 thousand km due to the development of more efficient engines and fuels, reducing the weight and size characteristics. In particular, the replacement of the F-107 turbofan engine with its modification, according to American experts, gives an increase in thrust by 19 percent. and a 3% reduction in fuel consumption. Thanks to the replacement of the existing turbofan engine with a propfan engine in combination with a special gas generator, the flight range will increase by 50% with unchanged weight and size characteristics of the rocket.
- improving the accuracy of targeting up to several meters by equipping the CR with the receiving equipment of the NAVSTAR satellite navigation system and a laser locator. It includes an active forward looking infrared sensor and a CO 2 laser. The laser locator makes it possible to carry out the selection of fixed targets, navigation support and speed correction.
- increase in launch depths of CR with PLA when using a more powerful starting solid propellant rocket motor;
- reducing the impact of air defense and missile defense systems in the combat use of cruise missiles. It is planned to reduce the impact of air defense systems and increase the combat stability of the CR by reducing its radar visibility, increasing the number of flight programs, and the possibility of their quick replacement or adjustment during the missile flight. For this purpose, it is planned to use more efficient computers and satellite communications.
The latest modification of the RGM / UGM-109E Tac Tom Block 4 (tactical Tomahawk) was offered to the fleet in 1998 by Raytheon as a cheap replacement for the previous generation of missiles. main goal The Tac Tom program had a rocket that would be significantly, almost three times cheaper ($569,000) to manufacture than the previous TLAM-C/D Block 3 model (about $1.5 million).
The body of the rocket, including the aerodynamic surfaces, is almost entirely made of carbon fiber materials. The number of stabilizer feathers has been reduced from four to three. The rocket is powered by a cheaper Williams F415-WR-400/402 turbofan engine. The disadvantage of the new product was the impossibility of firing through a torpedo tube. The guidance system has new capabilities for identifying targets and retargeting in flight. The missile can be re-programmed in flight via satellite (Ultra High Frequency) communications for any 15 pre-defined additional targets. The rocket has technical possibility loiter in the area of the intended target for three and a half hours at a distance of four hundred kilometers from the launch point until a command is received to hit the target, or it can be used as an unmanned aircraft for additional reconnaissance of an already hit target.
The total order of the Navy for a new missile in the period from 1999 to 2015 amounted to more than three thousand units.
In 2014, Raytheon began test flights of an improved Block IV modification to attack surface and limitedly mobile ground targets. The new active radar seeker IMS-280 with AFAR X-band (2) of the 10-12 GHz band (wavelength - 2.5 cm) is capable of autonomously determining the reflected electromagnetic signal by comparing it with the signature archive of potential targets stored in the on-board computer : "own" - "foreign" ship or civilian ship. Depending on the answer, the missile independently decides which target to attack. The new GOS will be installed instead of the optoelectronic module AN / DXQ-1 DSMAC. The total amount of fuel is reduced to 360 kilograms, the operational range of the missile is from 1600 to 1200 kilometers.
Tactical and technical characteristics
| Firing range, km | |
| BGM-109A when launched from a surface ship | 2500 |
| BGM-109C/D when launched from a surface ship | 1250 |
| BGM-109C/D when launched from a submarine | 900 |
| Maximum flight speed, km/h | 1200 |
| Average flight speed, km/h | 885 |
| Rocket length, m | 6.25 |
| Rocket body diameter, m | 0.53 |
| Wingspan, m | 2.62 |
| Starting weight, kg | |
| BGM-109A | 1450 |
| BGM-109С/D | 1500 |
| Warhead | |
| BGM-109A | nuclear |
| BGM-109C | semi-armor-piercing - 120kg |
| BGM-109D | cassette - 120kg |
| F-107 sustainer engine | |
| Fuel | RJ-4 |
| Fuel mass, kg | 550 |
| Dry engine weight, kg | 64 |
| Thrust, kg | 272 |
| Length, mm | 940 |
| Diameter, mm | 305 |
The sea-based Tomahawk missile system includes cruise missiles with surface or underwater launch, launchers, a missile fire control system and auxiliary equipment.
By the beginning of the 1970s, the Soviet Navy had become the most modern technically and technologically and one of the most powerful navies in the world. New ships of the Soviet Navy: cruisers of the 58th project, destroyers of the 61st project, nuclear submarines of the 675th project, armed with long-range missile systems P-35 (launch range - 350 km), P-15 (85 km) and P -5D (500 km) respectively. The stunning "exterior" of the ships and their powerful missile armament amazed the imagination and aroused the justified envy of NATO naval commanders. Most of the surface ships of their fleets were laid down during the Second World War. NATO surface ships, their diesel and nuclear submarines were armed with artillery systems and torpedo weapons. By that time, such equipment for the naval forces looked like an absolute anachronism. The only exceptions were 41 SSBNs of the US Navy, which had an exclusively formal attachment to the fleet, and single copies of modern ships - the nuclear cruiser URO Long Beach and the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise.
In 1971, the leadership of the US Navy initiated a program to create a strategic cruise missile for nuclear submarines. At the initial stage, two variants of cruise missiles (CR) were considered.
First option. This is a large 55-inch CR for the launchers of the Polaris UGM-27 missiles, which are being withdrawn from service. This option provided for the adoption of a heavy submarine-launched missile with a long range of flight - up to 3,000 miles and the placement of missiles on board ten SSBNs of the George Washington and Eten Allen types in Polaris missile launchers. Thus, SSBNs became carriers of strategic SSGN cruise missiles.
Second option. Small KR caliber 21 inches with a range of up to 1500 miles under 533-mm torpedo tubes of submarines.
In June 1972, the KR variant was chosen for torpedo tubes. At the same time, the program was named SLCM (Sea Launched Cruise Missile) - a sea-based cruise missile. In January, the two most promising projects were selected for participation in competitive trials. The first is from General Dynamics: the UBGM-109A missile, the second from LTV: the UBGM-110A missile. In February 1976, tests of missile models from submarines began from a submerged position. The BGM-109A missile was declared the winner of the competition at the initial stage of testing.
In March of the same year, the naval authorities decide that the SLCM should become the main operational-tactical and strategic weapon of surface ships. In March 1980, the first flight test of the BGM-109A missile took place, the launch was made from the US Navy destroyer Merrill (DD-976). In June of the same year, successful flight tests of the boat version of the rocket took place. This event became a landmark in the history of missile weapons at sea: the world's first launch of a strategic cruise missile was made from a US Navy submarine Guitarro SSN-665. For three years, intensive flight tests of BGM-109A missiles were carried out, more than 100 missile tests were carried out. As a result, in March 1983, a US Navy public relations representative announced: "The missile has reached operational readiness and is recommended for adoption."
Cruise missile "Tomahawk" BGM-109 was created in two main versions: strategic (modifications A, C, D) - for firing at ground targets and tactical ( modifications B,E) - to destroy surface ships. Their structural design and flight performance are identical. All variants, due to the modular principle of construction, differ from each other only in the head part.
Compound
The cruise missile is made according to the aircraft scheme (monoplane), has a cylindrical body with an ogive nose fairing, a wing that folds and sinks into the body in the central part and a cruciform stabilizer in the tail. The case is made of durable aluminum alloys, graphite-epoxy plastic and radio-transparent materials. To reduce radar visibility, a special coating is applied to the hull, wing and stabilizer.
The warhead of the strategic nuclear missile launcher "Tomahawk" BGM-109A is the W-80 warhead (weight 123kg, length about 1m, diameter 0.27m and power 200kt). Undermining is carried out by a contact fuse. The radius of the destruction zone is 3 km. The high firing accuracy and significant power of the nuclear warhead of the Tomahawk BGM-109A strategic cruise missile make it possible to hit heavily protected small targets with high efficiency. According to American experts, the probability of destroying a protected object that can withstand an overpressure of 70 kg / cm2, one Tomahawk missile is 0.85, and the Poseidon-SZ SLBM is 0.10.
The BGM-109C strategic non-nuclear missile launcher is equipped with a monoblock (semi-armor-piercing) warhead, and the BGM-109D is equipped with a cluster bomb, which includes up to 166 BLU-97B small-caliber bombs of combined action (each weighing 1.5 kg) in 24 bundles.
The control and guidance system of the Tomahawk BGM-109 A / C / D is a combination of the following subsystems (see diagram):
inertial,
correlation along the terrain contour TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching),
electron-optical correlation DSMAC (Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator).
The inertial control subsystem operates in the initial and middle sections of the rocket flight (weight 11 kg). It includes an onboard computer, an inertial platform and a barometric altimeter. The inertial platform consists of three gyroscopes for measuring the angular deviations of the rocket in the coordinate system and three accelerometers that determine the acceleration of these deviations. The subsystem provides determination of the position of the CD with an accuracy of 0.8 km per 1 hour of flight.
The control and guidance system of strategic missiles with conventional warheads BGM-109C and D includes an electro-optical correlation subsystem DSMAC, which can significantly improve the accuracy of fire (KVO - up to 10m). It uses digital pictures of previously captured areas of the terrain along the route of the RC flight.
The principle of operation of TERCOM and DSMAC navigation systems on the Tomahawk cruise ship
That's how myself chief designer Missiles Robert Aldridge, a senior engineer at General Dynamics, described his product in the Nation magazine in the article "The Pentagon on the Warpath" dated March 27, 1982: "The strategic version of the missile is designed to fly at a speed of Mach 0.7 the maximum possible distance at an altitude of about 20,000 ft. This is considered a low speed for a rocket, but it provides the greatest fuel economy and therefore increases the range.The inertial guidance system that controls the autopilot during flight is periodically adjusted to changing conditions using a sensor called TERCOM. TERCOM can follow a pre-programmed route with such accuracy, one might say, deadly, that the missile is able to destroy targets, even super-protected and practically inaccessible to more powerful missiles, such as ICBMs (ed. Dave77777. Here the developer was clearly playing a trick). territory, the guidance system translates it to such a low altitude, which allows her to avoid detection by radar, and even if the radar detects the target, the Tomahawk on the screen will look like a seagull (ed. Dave77777 "Seagull" Gas-13). Within 50 miles of the target, the missile descends to a height of only 50 feet while accelerating to Mach 1.2 for the final throw."
The functioning of the missile system is as follows. Upon receiving an order to use missile weapons, the commander announces an alarm and puts the ship on high technical readiness. The pre-launch preparation of the missile system begins, which takes about 20 minutes. On a submarine, when firing from a TA, sea water is fed into the tube of the apparatus and through the holes enters the capsule with the CD. At this moment, a device begins to operate in the rocket, which creates an excess pressure inside its body, approximately equal to the external one, which protects the CR body from deformation. The boat goes to the launch depth (30-60m) and reduces the speed to a few knots. The data necessary for firing are entered into the control and guidance system of the CD. Then the cover of the TA opens, the hydraulic ejection system of the CR is activated, and the rocket is pushed out of the capsule. The latter is ejected from the TA tube some time after the rocket exits. The rocket is connected to the container with a 12m long halyard, when it breaks (after 5 seconds of passing the underwater section of the trajectory), the protection stage is removed and the starting solid propellant rocket engine is switched on. As the water column passes, the pressure inside the CR body decreases to normal (atmospheric), and it emerges from under the water to the surface at an angle of 50°.
When firing from the UVP Mk45, the shaft cover opens, the rocket ejection system is turned on, and the excess pressure created by the gas generator pushes the rocket out of the shaft. When exiting, it destroys the membrane of the capsule that held back the pressure of sea water, vertically goes to the surface and, having made a turn, switches to the programmed flight path. After 4-6s after the release of the CR from under the water or with the end of the launch solid propellant rocket launcher, the tail thermal fairing is dropped by pyrotechnic charges and the rocket stabilizer is opened. During this time, the KR reaches a height of 300-400m. Then, on the descending branch of the launch section, about 4 km long, the wing panels open, the air intake extends, the starting solid propellant rocket is fired at the expense of the pyrobolts, the sustainer engine is turned on, and the cruise missile switches to the specified flight path (60 seconds after the start). The flight altitude of the rocket is reduced to 15-60m, and the speed is up to 885km/h. The control of the missile during its flight over the sea is carried out by the inertial control subsystem, which ensures the launch of the CR to the first correction area (as a rule, it is several kilometers away from the coast). The size of this area depends on the accuracy of determining the location of the launch platform and the error of the inertial control subsystem of the CR, accumulated during the flight of the rocket over the water surface.
Along with equipping ships with Tomahawk missiles, the United States is conducting a large-scale program for the development and improvement of sea-based cruise missiles, which provides for:
Increasing the firing range to 3-4 thousand km due to the development of more efficient engines and fuels, reducing the weight and size characteristics. In particular, the replacement of the F-107 turbofan engine with its modification, according to American experts, gives an increase in thrust by 19 percent. and a 3% reduction in fuel consumption. Thanks to the replacement of the existing turbofan engine with a propfan engine in combination with a special gas generator, the flight range will increase by 50% with unchanged weight and size characteristics of the rocket.
improving the accuracy of targeting up to several meters by equipping the CR with the receiving equipment of the NAVSTAR satellite navigation system and a laser locator. It includes an active forward looking infrared sensor and a CO2 laser. The laser locator makes it possible to carry out the selection of fixed targets, navigation support and speed correction.
increase in launch depths of CR with PLA when using a more powerful starting solid propellant rocket motor;
reducing the impact of air defense and missile defense systems in the combat use of cruise missiles. It is planned to reduce the impact of air defense systems and increase the combat stability of the CR by reducing its radar visibility, increasing the number of flight programs, and the possibility of their quick replacement or adjustment during the missile flight. For this purpose, it is planned to use more efficient computers and satellite communications.
Airborne tomahawks
Trying to reduce the cost of the production of CD, General Dynamics upgraded the AGM-109 missile for use from air carriers. The rocket engine has been upgraded. The expensive LN-35 inertial navigation system was replaced by a strapdown integrated navigation system equipped with a set of laser gyroscopes. Air-based made unnecessary the launch booster needed to eject a rocket from under water or a missile silo. Navigation systems were moved to the tail section of the rocket, making room for a modular warhead.
AGM-109H AGM-109H medium-range air-launched cruise missile. This KR with a range of up to 550 km is designed to disable the runways of airfields. The missile is equipped with a cluster warhead containing 28 BLU-106/V small-caliber concrete-piercing ammunition. Such ammunition, weighing about 19 kg, has a cylindrical body 110.5 cm long and 10 cm in diameter with a cruciform folding tail, which houses the warhead, solid fuel booster and braking parachute. Ammunition is fired in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the rocket, sequentially on command from the onboard guidance system. The rate of shooting should be set in accordance with the height and speed of the KR flight in order to cause maximum damage to the concrete runway or shelters for aircraft.
After shooting, the ammunition is decelerated by a parachute and oriented at an angle of about 60 ° relative to the earth's surface. The parachute is then dropped and the munition is accelerated towards the target with the help of a solid propellant booster. Warhead containing 3 kg explosive, has an armor-piercing tip. Due to the high kinetic energy, it breaks through the concrete coating of the target, the ammunition penetrates inside it, after which the explosive charge is detonated. The foreign press notes that the BLU-106 / B is very effective when operating both on the runway and on reinforced concrete shelters for aircraft. The B-52G and F-16 were supposed to be the carrier of the AGM-109H missile, although the missile mount is also suitable for other types of US Air Force aircraft.
AGM-109L air-launched medium-range cruise missile. Designed to destroy land and sea targets. The navigation of the missile is distinguished by the presence of an infrared homing head, which is similar to that installed on the AGM 65D Maverick missile. The AGM-109L is equipped with a WDU-18/B high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 222 kg. The carrier of the AGM-109L was to be the A-6E carrier-based attack aircraft.
AGM-109G ground-launched cruise missile. The rocket was structurally made of separate functional modules, which included a combined control system, a nuclear warhead, fuel compartments, retractable wings, an F107-WR-400 sustainer turbofan engine, a tail unit and a solid-propellant launch booster. The rocket was placed in a sealed capsule with a breakable protective diaphragm. The capsule was installed on a transport-launcher (TPU) mounted on an automobile semi-trailer and representing an armored container for four missiles. The M818 tractor of the MAN concern was used as a towing vehicle.
Combat use
large-scale military operation "Desert Storm" in 1991 against Iraq. From surface ships and submarines of the US Navy deployed in positions in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, as well as in the Persian Gulf, 288 Tomahawk missile launches were performed, of which 261 were TLAM-C missiles, 27 were TLAM-D missiles. 85 percent of them reached their goals. In the last decade, the Tomahawk missile has become the main means of bombing and assault strikes in all major operations conducted by the US Armed Forces: "Desert Fox" (Iraq, December 1998), "Allied Force" (Serbia, April-May 1999), " Unbending Freedom" (Afghanistan, October 2001), "Freedom to Iraq" (Iraq, March-April 2003). More than 2,000 sea- and air-launched Tomahawk missiles have been expended during these operations.
RGM / UGM-109E Tac Tom Block 4 (tactical "Tomahawk") - this modification of the rocket - in 1998 was offered to the fleet by Raytheon as a cheap replacement for the previous generation of missiles. The main goal of the Tac Tom program was a rocket that would be significantly cheaper to manufacture (about half) than the current TLAM-C / D Block 3. The rocket body, including the aerodynamic surfaces, is almost entirely made of carbon fiber materials. Reduced the number of stabilizer feathers from four to three. The rocket is powered by a cheaper Williams F415-WR-400/402 turbofan engine. The disadvantage of the new rocket is the impossibility of firing a rocket through a torpedo tube, only from special vertical launchers Mk 45 PL. The guidance system has new capabilities for identifying targets and retargeting in flight. The missile can be re-programmed in flight via UHF satellite for up to 15 pre-defined additional targets. There is a technical possibility for the missile to barrage in the area of the intended target for 3.5 hours at a distance of 400 km from the launch point until it receives a command to hit the target, or use the missile as a UAV for additional reconnaissance of an already hit target. The total order of the Navy for a new missile in the period from 2003 to 2008 amounted to 1353 units. The Tactical Tomahawk Block 4 SLCM began to enter service with the US Navy in 2004. A total of 2,200 SLCMs of this type are planned to be purchased.
SPECIFICATIONS
|
Firing range, km |
|
|
BGM-109A when launched from a surface ship |
2500 |
|
BGM-109C/D when launched from a surface ship |
1250 |
|
BGM-109C/D when launched from a submarine |
900 |
|
Maximum flight speed, km/h |
1200 |
|
Average flight speed, km/h |
885 |
|
Rocket length, m |
6.25 |
|
Rocket body diameter, m |
0.53 |
|
Wingspan, m |
2.62 |
|
Starting weight, kg |
|
|
BGM-109A |
1450 |
|
BGM-109С/D |
1500 |
|
Warhead |
|
|
BGM-109A |
nuclear |
|
BGM-109C |
semi-armor-piercing - 120kg |
|
BGM-109D |
cassette - 120kg |
|
F-107 sustainer engine |
|
|
Fuel |
RJ-4 |
|
Fuel mass, kg |
550 |
|
Dry engine weight, kg |
64 |
|
Thrust, kg |
272 |
|
Length, mm |
940 |
|
Diameter, mm |
305 |
Sources
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