Complexes "Caliber" and Tomahawk. Correspondence confrontation. The Tomahawk cruise missile is a modern ax of war. At what altitude does a tomahawk fly?

Gone are the days when aviation was considered the main means of delivering high-power tactical ammunition. The advent of missile weapons and the improvement of missile technology have led to the fact that modern armed forces have acquired new, powerful and fast weapons - cruise missiles. These new means of combat combined both long range and high accuracy. The new missile systems had a fairly large damaging effect and could provide a massive strike. A striking representative of this type of weapon is the now well-known American BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile.

What is the Tomahawk missile launcher?

The American army became one of the first in the world to be equipped with a new tactical missile system on a large scale. The cruise missile, which appeared in 1983, became the most popular in its class. In addition, this is one of the few examples of modern types of weapons that were involved in almost all military conflicts. The Tomahawks are associated with the history of military operations during the first Gulf War (1990-1991), as well as the subsequent actions of multinational NATO forces in Yugoslavia in 1999. Already in the new millennium, American Tomahawks, with a twenty-year track record, again became one of the main types of weapons on the battlefield.

The Americans actually managed to create a universal means of struggle - a weapon that has become a convenient tool in modern military-political conditions. The name of the rocket is also symbolic; a tomahawk is a battle ax, a legendary weapon of the North American Indians. For a modern army, the presence of such weapons is invaluable. Equipped with a new guidance system, this cruise missile, like the Indian ax, is barely noticeable in flight, fast and deadly. The strike is always accurate, not expected and unpredictable.

The reason for such qualities of the weapon lies in the design of the rocket and in the features of its design. For the first time, a guidance system was installed on a cruise missile, providing the projectile with complete autonomy in flight. The missile operates on the principle of pointing, releasing and forgetting. To control a flying projectile, neither the help of a gunner operator nor the presence of a satellite guidance system is required. The combat filling of several hundred kilograms of explosives was capable of disabling any target, both at sea and on land. High combat characteristics were the fruit of long-term design development, on which the American military department spent enormous sums. In 1973, American taxpayers spent $560 thousand on the development of the project alone. Subsequently, it took over one million dollars to fine-tune the prototype.

Testing of the first samples of the new rocket lasted 6 years. Only in 1983, after more than 100 test launches, the Pentagon announced the adoption of a new cruise missile for service with the American armed forces. This missile was created as a universal strike weapon capable of carrying nuclear weapons and conventional charges. It was planned to use ships of various classes as a launch platform, including nuclear submarines and strategic aircraft of the US Air Force, so modifications of cruise missiles were initially created, adapted for surface and underwater launch. The new Tomahawk missile system consisted of cruise missiles, launchers and a missile fire control system.

For reference: The first weapons were developed in two versions:

• Tomahawk Block I BGM-109A TLAM-N strategic carrier with a nuclear warhead;
• Tomahawk Block I BGM-109B TASM anti-ship missile with a conventional warhead.

Design features of the Tomahawk Block I cruise missile

It should be noted that the Americans took a practical approach to creating new weapons. The nuclear parity achieved with the Soviet Union in the mid-70s of the 20th century required the creation of new means of delivering nuclear weapons, so initially a new cruise missile, the new battle ax, was developed in several modifications. The main, strategic version of the Tomahawk missile system had three modifications (A, C, D) and was designed to strike ground targets deep in the territory of a potential enemy. The second, tactical version of the missile included modifications B and E. These cruise missiles were supposed to destroy any surface targets.

Despite the differences in intended use, all modifications had the same design and device. The tactical and technical characteristics of the missiles were identical. The differences concerned only the combat equipment of the missiles - either a nuclear warhead or a warhead with a conventional high-explosive fragmentation charge.

The design of the cruise missile had all the characteristic features characteristic of this type of weapon. The body was a cylindrical monoplane, equipped with a fairing in the nose. The stability of the projectile in flight was ensured by protruding wings located in the central part of the body. The rocket had a cross-shaped stabilizer at the tail section. The main structural material was aircraft-grade aluminum and durable plastic. The use of protective materials in the body design ensured a significant reduction in the radar signature of the missile. The main engine for the new rocket was initially equipped with Williams F107-WR-400 turbojet engines with a thrust of 2.7 kN. Later, more powerful engines were installed on other modifications. For modifications of air-launched missiles, Teledyne CAE J402-CA-401 turbojet engines capable of producing a thrust of 3.0 kN were used.

A powerful propulsion engine provided the rocket-projectile with a flight speed of over 800 km/h. The flight range varied in the range of 800-2500 km, depending on the modification of the missile and the basing option. Typically, nuclear-tipped cruise missiles had a longer range. Tactical modifications were capable of flying shorter distances. The summarized tactical and technical characteristics for Tomahawk cruise missiles are as follows:

• flight range for ground (surface) launch missiles 1250 - 2500 km;
• flight range of submarine-based missiles (underwater launch) up to 1000 km;
• cruising flight speed 885 km/h;
• maximum flight speed during the final phase of flight at certain angles of attack - 1200 km/h;
• the rocket body had a length of 6.25 m;
• wingspan 2.62 m;
• the weight of the loaded missile varied in the range of 1450-1500 kg, depending on the type of warhead;
• the missile could be equipped with a nuclear warhead, a high-explosive fragmentation charge, or a cluster warhead.

The power of the nuclear charge that the BGM-109A cruise missile could carry was 200 kt. The non-nuclear cruise missiles BGM-109C and BGM-109D were equipped with a semi-armor-piercing warhead weighing 120 kg or a combined action cluster warhead.

During the development process and subsequent serial production, the missiles were equipped with three types of guidance systems:

• inertial;
• correlation;
• correlation electron-optical.

The latest modification of the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles, which is due to enter service with the US Army today, is already equipped with a completely new electro-optical guidance system DSMAC correlation action. During the marching flight, the missile's course can be adjusted taking into account the meteorological situation in the target area and the combat situation. In current conditions, weapons are a fully automated combat system, capable of making decisions independently depending on the characteristics of combat use.

What is the main feature of the Tomahawk missile launcher?

The main advantage that the Americans managed to achieve as a result of the creation of the Tomahawk cruise missile is the almost complete invulnerability of the weapon to air defense systems. A cruise missile launched towards a target flies at a low altitude, skirting relief features during its flight. Ground-based air defense systems in such a situation are unable to quickly respond to the flight of a projectile, practically not seeing it in flight. The missile's stealth in flight is facilitated by the missile's streamlined body, equipped with protective materials.

It is possible to identify a flying Tomahawk only if its flight route is known in advance. A clear example of the invulnerability of cruise missiles to ground-based air defense systems was the conflict in Yugoslavia. Of the 700 Tomahawk Block III cruise missiles, created in the early 90s, fired at targets in Yugoslavia, no more than fifty missiles were shot down. The missiles were shot down either on approach to the territory of Yugoslavia by air defense systems, or were attacked already on the territory of Yugoslavia by planes of the Yugoslav Air Force. The Yugoslavs were able to achieve such results due to one significant drawback that American miracle axes possess. The cruise missile has a low speed, which makes it vulnerable to fighter aircraft fire. The pilot of a modern aircraft, upon visual detection of a flying projectile, can easily catch up with it and destroy it.

With a single launch, it is almost impossible to detect an incoming missile. The massive use of cruise missiles provides the possibility of simultaneous strikes against both strategic targets and identified targets of the enemy’s air defense system. Such a combined strike practically paralyzes the enemy, further limiting his actions.

Modern tactics of using cruise missiles

It should be noted that, despite all its technical perfection, the Tomahawk cruise missile is considered a high-precision weapon at a stretch. Only missiles with nuclear warheads can be considered a means of delivering single strikes. In tactical terms, the American armed forces are relying on the massive use of these weapons, despite their high cost. One launch of the Tomahawk cruise missile costs the American taxpayer $1.5 million.

According to the tactics of using this type of weapon, the deployment options also differ. While developing a new cruise missile, the Americans planned to arm the bulk of their navy with it. The task was to create a universal missile system capable of carrying out a massive launch. Thus, the Arleigh Burke class destroyers, the main ships of the US Navy, housed launchers for 56 missiles of this class. The last American battleship, Missouri, remaining in the fleet and participating in the attack on Iraq in 1991, carried 32 Tomahawk Block I BGM-109B cruise missiles.

The maximum number, up to 154 cruise missiles, could be carried by an Ohio-class nuclear submarine. The Americans built 18 such ships. All this suggests that the new weapon was planned to be used massively. In total, the Pentagon received funding for the construction and delivery of more than 4 thousand Tomahawk cruise missiles of various modifications to the US armed forces.

The latest modification of the Tomahawk Block IV missile, which began to be supplied to US strategic forces, on ships of the US Navy and Air Force, unlike previous modifications, is capable of targeting several targets at once. According to preliminary data, the newest rocket is capable of storing information about the location of 15 objects in memory. Moreover, the missile guidance system allows you to change the target parameters already during the flight. The know-how that the US military boasts of is the ability of a fired missile to loiter over an area, awaiting precise indication of targets and subsequent commands. In addition to improving the guidance system, work is actively underway to increase the power of the propulsion system. The latest modification of the rocket has an increased flight range due to reduced fuel consumption. Now “Tomahawks” will be capable of striking an enemy located at a distance of 3-4 thousand km from the launch site.

The work that is constantly being carried out to improve the cruise missile suggests that this weapon has great technical potential. The technical capabilities inherent in the missile design allow one to quickly change the technical parameters of the design, improving the tactical and technical characteristics of each new modification.

US President Donald Trump announced the start of the bombing of Syria in response to the “use of chemical weapons by dictator Bashar al-Assad.” According to the Pentagon, the April 14 operation used twice as many missiles as a similar strike in April 2017 (59). How much the United States spent on major missile attacks is in the Kommersant reference.

On March 24–25, 1986, the US military launched missile attacks on military targets near the Libyan city of Sirte. Previously, the United States accused the country of supporting international terrorism. The operation was called Operation Prairie Fire, during which the 6 anti-ship missiles "Harpoon". The cost of the missiles was $4.3 million

On April 15–16, 1986, the US Air Force carried out strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi (Libya). Operation Eldorado Canyon was a response to the bombing of an American plane and a terrorist attack in a nightclub in West Berlin. Was released 48 Shrike and Harm anti-radar missiles. The total cost of the strikes was approx. $7 million, based on the average price per rocket of $145.5 thousand.

On September 3–4, 1996, the United States conducted Operation Desert Strike in Iraq against the regime of Saddam Hussein. The reason was his intervention in the conflict in the Kurdish territories contrary to the UN resolution. On the first day of the operation, the United States fired at Iraqi air force positions 27 Tomahawk cruise missiles, in the second - 17. The strikes cost the United States approximately $62 million with an average price per rocket of $1.41 million.

On August 20, 1998, following the terrorist attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Operation Reach Unlimited retaliation was carried out. American cruise missiles attacked a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan and al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. A total of 75–100 Tomahawk cruise missiles (total cost - up to $141 million).

On December 17–19, 1998, the United States carried out missile and bomb attacks on Iraq as part of Operation Desert Fox. The reason given was Iraq's refusal to cooperate with the UN Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction. The strikes were carried out on 97 targets, it was released 415 sea- and air-launched Tomahawk missiles. In total, the launches could cost the United States approximately $585.2 million

On October 7, 2001, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks. It began with missile and bomb attacks on Kabul and Kandahar. On the first day they fired about 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles ($70.5 million).

On March 19, 2011, the United States and Great Britain fired cruise missiles at Libyan territory from ships in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the coalition, more than 110 Tomahawk missiles ($155.1 million). This began the military operation “Odyssey Beginning”, which lasted until the end of March 2011.

On the night of April 7, 2017, US military forces released 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airfield of Shayrat in Homs province. Based on the average price per missile, this strike could have cost the Americans approximately at $83 million.

The sea-based Tomahawk missile system includes surface- or underwater-launched cruise missiles, launchers, a missile fire control system and auxiliary equipment.
By the beginning of the 70s, 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 weapons 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 of 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 examples of modern ships - the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser Long Beach and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Enterprise.
In 1971, the leadership of the American Navy initiated a program to create a strategic cruise missile for nuclear submarines. At the initial stage, two options for cruise missiles (CR) were considered.
First option. This is a large 55-inch caliber missile launcher for Polaris UGM-27 missiles, which are being removed from service. This option provided for the adoption of a heavy long-range underwater launch missile - up to 3000 miles - and the placement of missiles on board ten SSBNs of the George Washington and Ethen Allen types in Polaris missile launchers. Thus, SSBNs became carriers of SSGN strategic cruise missiles.
Second option. Small 21-inch caliber missile with a flight range of up to 1,500 miles under 533-mm torpedo tubes of submarines.
In June 1972, the KR version for torpedo tubes was chosen. At the same time, the program received the name SLCM (Sea Launched Cruise Missile) - a sea-based cruise missile. In January, the two most promising projects were selected to participate in competitive testing. The first is from General Dynamics: the UBGM-109A missile, the second is from LTV: the UBGM-110A missile. In February 1976, testing of prototype missiles with submarines from an underwater position began. 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 decided 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, launched 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 landmark in the history of naval missile weapons: the world's first launch of a strategic missile from aboard the US Navy submarine Guitarro SSN-665. Intensive flight tests of BGM-109A missiles were carried out for three years, more than 100 missile tests were carried out. As a result, in March 1983, a US Navy public affairs representative announced: "The missile has reached operational capability and is recommended for service."
The Tomahawk BGM-109 cruise missile was created in two main versions: strategic (modifications A, C, D) - for firing at ground targets and tactical (modifications B, E) - for destroying surface ships. Their structural design and flight performance characteristics are identical. All options, due to the modular construction principle, differ from each other only in the head part.
Compound
The wing is made according to an aircraft design (monoplane), has a cylindrical body with an ogival fairing of the head part, a wing folding and recessed into the body in the central part and a cross-shaped stabilizer in the tail. The body is made of durable aluminum alloys, graphite-epoxy plastic and radio-transparent materials. To reduce radar signature, a special coating is applied to the body, wing and stabilizer.

The warhead of the Tomahawk BGM-109A strategic nuclear missile system is the W-80 warhead (weight 123 kg, length about 1 m, diameter 0.27 m and power 200 kt). Detonation 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 missile system make it possible to hit highly protected small-sized targets with high efficiency. According to American experts, the probability of destroying a protected object that can withstand an excess pressure of 70 kg/cm2 by one Tomahawk missile launcher is 0.85, and by a Poseidon-SZ SLBM is 0.10.
The strategic non-nuclear missile BGM-109C is equipped with a monoblock (semi-armor-piercing) warhead, and the BGM-109D is equipped with a cluster warhead, which includes up to 166 small-caliber BLU-97B combined-action bombs (each weighing 1.5 kg) in 24 bundles.
The control and guidance system of the Tomahawk missile launcher 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 stages of the rocket's flight (mass 11 kg). It includes an on-board 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 missile launcher location with an accuracy of 0.8 km per 1 hour of flight.
The control and guidance system for strategic missiles with a conventional warhead BGM-109C and D includes an electro-optical correlation subsystem DSMAC, which can significantly improve firing accuracy (CEP - up to 10m). It uses digital images of previously filmed areas of the terrain along the flight route of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The operating principle of the TERCOM and DSMAC navigation systems on the Tomahawk cruise missile
This is how the chief designer of the rocket, Robert Aldridge himself, a leading 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 rocket is designed to fly at a speed of 0. Mach 7 is the maximum possible range at an altitude of about 20,000 ft. This is considered a low speed for a missile, 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 by sensor called TERCOM. TERCOM can follow a pre-programmed route with such precision, one might say, deadly, that the missile is capable of destroying targets, even highly protected and practically inaccessible to more powerful missiles, for example, ICBMs (ed. Dave77777. Here the developer was clearly lying) When the missile reaches enemy territory, the guidance system places it at such a low altitude that it allows it to avoid detection by radar, and even if the radar detects the target, the Tomahawk will look like a seagull on the screen (ed. Dave77777 "Seagull" Gas-13). Within 50 miles of the target, the missile descends to an altitude of just 50 feet while increasing its speed 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 the alarm and puts the ship on high technical alert. Pre-launch preparation of the missile system begins, which takes about 20 minutes. When firing from a submarine on a submarine, sea water is fed into the tube of the device and through the holes enters the capsule with the missile launcher. At this moment, a device begins to operate in the rocket, creating excess pressure inside its body, approximately equal to the external one, which protects the missile body from deformation. The boat reaches the launch depth (30-60m) and reduces the speed to several knots. The data necessary for firing is entered into the control and guidance system of the missile system. Then the TA cover opens, the hydraulic ejection system of the missile launcher 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 missile is connected to the container with a 12m long halyard, when it ruptures (after 5 seconds of passing the underwater section of the trajectory), the safety stage is removed and the launch solid propellant rocket engine is turned on. As the water column passes, the pressure inside the body of the CR 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 silo cover opens, the missile ejection system is turned on, and the excess pressure created by the gas generator pushes the missile out of the silo. Upon exiting, it destroys the membrane of the capsule that held back the pressure of sea water, vertically exits to the surface and, having made a turn, switches to the programmed flight path. 4-6 seconds after the launch vehicle emerges from under the water or after the end of operation of the launch solid propellant rocket motor, the tail thermal fairing is dropped with pyrotechnic charges and the rocket stabilizer is deployed. During this time, the Kyrgyz Republic reaches an altitude of 300-400m. Then, on the descending branch of the launch section, about 4 km long, the wing consoles open, the air intake extends, the starting solid propellant rocket engine is fired using pyrobolts, the main engine is turned on, and the missile launcher moves to the specified flight path (60 seconds after launch). The rocket's flight altitude is reduced to 15-60m, and its speed is reduced to 885km/h. The missile is controlled during its flight over the sea by an inertial control subsystem, which ensures that the missile launches into the first correction region (as a rule, it is several kilometers away from the shore). 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 launch vehicle, accumulated during the rocket's flight over the water surface.

Along with equipping ships with Tomahawk missile weapons, the United States is pursuing a large-scale program for the development and improvement of sea-launched 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 weight and size characteristics. In particular, replacing the F-107 turbofan engine with its modification, according to American experts, gives an increase in thrust by 19 percent. and a reduction in fuel consumption by 3%. By replacing the existing turbofan engine with a propfan engine in combination with a special gas generator, the flight range will increase by 50% while maintaining the same weight and dimensions of the rocket.
improving target targeting accuracy up to several meters by equipping the missile system with 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 selection of stationary targets, navigation support and speed correction.
increasing the launch depths of missile launchers from submarines when using a more powerful launch solid propellant rocket engine;
reducing the impact of air defense and missile defense systems during the combat use of cruise missiles. It is planned to reduce the impact of air defense systems and increase the combat stability of the missile by reducing its radar signature, increasing the number of flight programs, and the possibility of quickly replacing or adjusting them during the missile’s flight. For this purpose, it is planned to use more productive computers and satellite communications.
Airborne tomahawks
Trying to reduce the cost of missile production, General Dynamics has modernized the AGM-109 missile for use from air carriers. The rocket engine was modernized. The expensive inertial navigation system LN-35 was replaced by a strapdown integrated navigation system equipped with a set of laser gyroscopes. Air-launched makes unnecessary the launch booster needed to eject a missile from underwater or a missile silo. Navigation systems were moved to the rear of the rocket, making room for a modular warhead.
AGM-109H air-launched AGM-109H medium-range cruise missile. This missile with a firing range of up to 550 km is designed to disable airfield runways. The missile is equipped with a cluster warhead containing 28 BLU-106/B small-caliber concrete-piercing ammunition. This ammunition, weighing about 19 kg, has a cylindrical body 110.5 cm long and 10 cm in diameter with a cross-shaped folding tail unit, which houses the warhead, solid propellant booster and braking parachute. The ammunition is fired in a direction perpendicular to the missile axis, sequentially upon command received from the on-board guidance system. The rate of shooting must be set in accordance with the altitude and speed of the missile's flight in order to inflict maximum damage on a concrete runway or aircraft shelters.
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 released and the ammunition is accelerated towards the target using a solid propellant booster. The warhead, containing 3 kg of explosive, has an armor-piercing tip. Due to the high kinetic energy, it pierces 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 runways and on reinforced concrete aircraft shelters. The AGM-109H missile was to be carried by the B-52G and F-16, although the missile mount is also suitable for other types of US Air Force aircraft.
AGM-109L medium-range air-launched cruise missile. Designed to destroy ground and sea targets. The missile's navigation 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 AGM-109L was to be carried by the A-6E deck 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 booster. The missile was placed in a sealed capsule with a burst protective diaphragm. The capsule was installed on a transport-launch unit (TLU), mounted on a semi-trailer and consisting of an armored container for four missiles. The M818 tractor from 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 carried out, of which 261 were TLAM-C missiles, 27 were TLAM-D. 85 percent of them achieved their goals. In the last decade, the Tomahawk missile has become the main means of bombing 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 for Iraq" (Iraq, March-April 2003). More than 2,000 sea- and air-launched Tomahawk missiles were expended during these operations.
RGM/UGM-109E Tac Tom Block 4 (tactical Tomahawk) - this modification of the missile - was offered to the fleet by Raytheon in 1998 as a cheap replacement for previous generation missiles. The main goal of the Tac Tom program was a rocket that would cost significantly less to produce (about half) than the modern TLAM-C/D Block 3. The rocket body, including 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 missile is the inability to fire the missile through a torpedo tube, only from special vertical launchers Mk 45 PL. The guidance system has new capabilities for target identification and in-flight retargeting. The missile can be reprogrammed in-flight via UHF satellite communications to target any 15 predetermined additional targets. It is technically possible for the missile to loiter in the area of ​​the intended target for 3.5 hours at a distance of 400 km from the launch point until receiving a command to hit the target, or to use the missile as a UAV for additional reconnaissance of an already hit target. The Navy's total order for the new missile between 2003 and 2008 was 1,353 units. The Tactical Tomahawk Block 4 SLCM began entering service with the US Navy in 2004. A total of 2,200 SLCMs of this type are planned to be purchased.

CHARACTERISTICS

Sources

Moscow, April 7 - "Vesti.Ekonomika". For the first time since the beginning of the long-term conflict in Syria, the United States launched a massive missile attack on the republic’s air force base.

Syrian sources reported that there were casualties. Homs Governor Talal al-Barrazi said that after the airstrike a fire started and several people were injured. Authorities do not yet have accurate information on the number of dead and injured.

Later it became known that civilians living in a village near the base were killed.

US President Donald Trump called the strike a “proportionate response” to the alleged April 4 attack by Syrian authorities on civilians in Idlib.

Thus, the current American president crossed a line that his predecessor Barack Obama, who limited himself to military support for the Syrian opposition, did not dare to cross.

According to official information from the Pentagon, the attack was carried out on the Shayrat air base by the Syrian Air Force at 4:40 local time (3:40 Moscow time) from the Mediterranean Sea from the destroyers Ross and Porter. 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired. The United States carried out this strike independently, without the participation of its allies.

How much does it cost to launch?

Less than an hour after the airstrikes became known, Donald Trump went to the press and said that he was guided by the “vital interests of the United States.”

The Tomahawk missile was created in the 1970s, but gained prominence in 1991 during the US invasion of Iraq, where they carried out Operation Desert Storm.

At that time, Tomahawk missiles were often used to destroy enemy military targets.

Over the past decades, the cost of Tomahawk missiles has increased significantly, due to the use of new technologies and warhead upgrades. Currently, Tomahawk missiles can be launched from ships and other devices.

The current version of the Tomahawk missile allows for more accurate impact timing. It can also be reprogrammed during flight so that the target is changed.

The Tomahawk missile program has been around for decades and costs more than $10 billion, and that's just development money.

That is, this amount does not include the direct cost of the missiles themselves.

The cost of the Tomahawk missile itself depends on its type. Simpler versions of the missile cost $500,000. According to NBC News, the missiles used in Syria cost about that much.

However, there is a Block IV version of the Tomahawk missile that is more sophisticated and can hit moving targets. Its cost reaches $1.5 million.

According to American media, the total cost of the strike on Syria, which was carried out on the orders of President Trump, ranged from $30 million to $100 million.

And if we compare these costs with Syria’s losses in monetary terms, the effectiveness of the strikes will be very low.

The purpose of the strike, as stated by US officials, was to destroy the military equipment of the Syrian army. But the Shayrat airfield has been used for several months as a “warehouse” for equipment that needs serious repairs or is awaiting decommissioning.

The Syrian military itself reports that six MiG-23s requiring repairs, an An-26 transport, partially dismantled and preparing for disposal, several other small aircraft, as well as auxiliary equipment in the form of tankers, trucks and cars were destroyed.

The total damage is estimated at only $3-5 million.

USA against ISIS: numbers and facts

The United States attacked the Syrian army base at Shayrat. The United States launched more than 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles from ships in the Mediterranean, the Pentagon said.

The United States has long been waging an unofficial war against ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation).

As of January 31, the cost of the US military campaign in the Middle East reached $6.2 billion, or about $480 thousand for every hour of the campaign.

And the costs continue to rise: The Pentagon is asking for an additional $7.5 billion from the budget in order to continue the fight against the terrorist organization.

This is double the amount allocated in 2016.

Now that Trump has struck Syria, we can expect further escalation of the conflict and further military action in the Middle East.

We decided to give some figures and facts about how the US military campaign has developed so far.

The US-led coalition has carried out more than 10,200 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq.

Objects destroyed by the United States during airstrikes in Syria and Iraq

More than 37 thousand bombs and missiles were dropped, and more than 50 thousand terrorists were killed, according to the Pentagon.

According to other sources, during the operation, 32 thousand targets were hit, including 164 tanks, 400 vehicles and 2,638 oil infrastructure facilities.

US and coalition airstrikes destroyed numerous infrastructure assets, as well as a cash vault believed to contain millions of dollars needed for the terrorist organization's operations.

The bombing also affected the civilian population. However, the exact data on casualties is contradictory. According to the Pentagon, there are only 14 such victims. According to monitoring groups, over 1 thousand people died.

American planes dropped so many bombs that the US Air Force chief of staff said they were using up ammunition faster than they could replenish it.

After World War II, 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 quality composition. At that time, our country already had ships with powerful missile weapons, while the Western powers did not have anything close to 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 aircraft carriers) 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 effectiveness of fleets. This is how the Tomahawk cruise missile was born.

First experiments

Of course, work in this area had been carried out before that period, so the first samples appeared quite quickly, being based on relatively old developments. The very first option was a 55-inch caliber rocket, intended for use with Polaris-type launchers, which by that time were already supposed to be removed from service. It was supposed to be able to fly 3,000 miles. The use of outdated launchers made it possible to get by with “little loss” 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 1,500 miles. Simply put, the (US) Tomahawk cruise missile would be the trump card that would allow the USSR fleet to be blackmailed. 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 the new cruise missiles had already been selected. At the same time, the provision on their exclusively sea-based deployment was finally approved. In January, a government commission had already selected the two most promising candidates to participate in full-scale trials. The first contender was the products of the well-known company General Dynamics.

It was model UBGM-109A. The second sample was produced by a little-known (and poorly lobbied) company LTV: the UBGM-110A missile. In 1976, they began to be tested, launching running prototypes from the side of a submarine. In general, none of the senior officials hid the fact that the winners had already recognized the 109A model in absentia.

In early March, the State Commission decided that the American Tomahawk cruise missile should become the main caliber of all US surface ships. Four years later, the first prototype was launched from 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 fleet, as it was the first launch from a submarine. Over the next three years, new weapons were intensively studied and tested, and about a hundred launches were made.

In 1983, Pentagon officials announced that the new Tomahawk cruise missile had been fully tested and was ready for mass production. Around the same time, domestic developments in similar areas were in full swing. We think that you will be interested to learn about the comparative characteristics of domestic equipment and weapons of a possible enemy during the Cold War. So, Tomahawk and Caliber cruise missiles, comparison.

Comparison with "Caliber"

• The length of the hull without the starting accelerator (Tomahawk/Caliber) is 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 the "Caliber" is 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 "Calibers" can carry both types of filling, the flight range is 2.5/1.5 thousand km, respectively. In general, in terms of this indicator, the characteristics of weapons are practically no different.

This is what characterizes the Tomahawk and Caliber cruise missiles. 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 figure is higher for their missiles. But the latest upgrades to the Caliber fly no slower.

Basic technical specifications

The new weapon model is made according to a monoplane aircraft design. The body is cylindrical, the fairing is ogival in shape. The wing can be folded and recessed into a special compartment located in the central part of the rocket; a cross-shaped stabilizer is located at the rear. The body is made from various options of aluminum alloys, epoxy resins and carbon fiber. All of them have extremely low aerodynamic drag, 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 move.

To minimize the visibility of the device to locators, a special coating is applied to the entire surface of the body. In general, in this regard, the Tomahawk cruise missile (a photo of which you will see in the article) is noticeably better than its competitors. Although experts agree that the predominant role in ensuring invisibility for locators belongs to the flight pattern, in which the missile flies, making maximum use of the terrain features, and at a minimum altitude.

Characteristics of the warhead

The main highlight of the missile is the W-80 warhead. Its weight is 123 kilograms, length is one meter, diameter is 30 cm. The maximum blasting 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 of the Tomahawk cruise missile is its very high guidance accuracy, due to which this ammunition is capable of hitting small and maneuvering targets. The probability of this ranges from 0.85 to 1.0 (depending on the location and launch location). Simply put, the accuracy of the Tomahawk cruise missile is very high. The non-nuclear warhead has some armor-piercing effect and can include up to 166 small-caliber bombs. The weight of each charge is 1.5 kilograms, all of them are in 24 bundles.

Control and targeting systems

High target targeting accuracy is ensured through the combined operation of several telemetry systems:

• The simplest of them is inertial.
• The TERCOM system is responsible for following the contours of the terrain.
• The DSMAC electro-optical anchoring service allows an incoming missile to be guided directly to a target with exceptional precision.

Characteristics of control circuits

The simplest system is inertial. The mass of this equipment is 11 kilograms, it works only at the initial and middle stages of 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 determine the acceleration of these accelerations with high accuracy. This system alone allows you to adjust the course by approximately 800 meters for every hour of flight.

Much more reliable and accurate is DSMAC, the most advanced version of which is the Tomahawk BGM 109 A cruise missile. It should be noted that for this equipment to operate, a digitized survey of the area over which the Tomahawk will fly must first be loaded into the equipment’s memory. This allows you to set a reference not only to 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.

Information about startup 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 Tomahawk ship-borne cruise missile, the characteristics of which we are considering, is stored in a special steel capsule, being “preserved” in a layer of nitrogen under high pressure.

Storage under such conditions not only makes it possible to guarantee the normal operation of the device for 30 months at once, but also to place it in a conventional torpedo silo without the slightest modification to the design of the latter.

Features of trigger mechanisms

American submarines have four standard torpedo tubes. They are located two on each side. The angle of location is 10-12 degrees, which makes it possible to fire a torpedo salvo from maximum depth. This circumstance makes it possible to significantly reduce unmasking factors. The pipe 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 apparatus, which makes it impossible to “shot in the foot” when the torpedo explodes in the submarine itself.

There is an inspection window on the back cover of the torpedo tube, with which you can monitor the filling of its cavity and the condition of the mechanisms, with a pressure gauge. The leads from the ship's electronics are also attached there, which controls the processes of opening the covers of the device, their closing and the actual launch process. The Tomahawk cruise missile (you will read its characteristics in the article) is fired from the silo due to the operation of hydraulic drives. One hydraulic cylinder is installed for every two devices on each side, it works as follows:

• First, a certain volume of compressed air is supplied to the system, which simultaneously acts on the hydraulic cylinder rod.
• Due to this, it begins to supply water to the cavity of the torpedo tubes.
• Since they fill with water quickly, starting from the rear section, excess pressure is created in the cavity, sufficient to push out a missile or torpedo.
• The entire structure is made in such a way that only one device 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 tubes.

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 makes it possible to slightly increase the flight range of the Tomahawk cruise missile by saving the life of its main engine.

Firing process control

Not only the specialists at combat posts are responsible for carrying out all the preparatory stages and, in fact, the launch, but also the fire control system (also known as the fire control system). Its components are located both in the torpedo compartment itself and on the command bridge. Of course, the order to launch can only be given from a central point. Duplicate instruments are also displayed there, showing the characteristics of the rocket and its readiness for launch in real time.

One important feature of American naval formations should be noted. They use a complex automated adjustment and integration system. Simply put, several submarines and surface ships armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the performance characteristics of which are given in the article, can act as a single “organism” and fire missiles at the same target almost simultaneously. Given the high probability of a hit, even an enemy ship or ground group with a powerful and layered air defense system will almost certainly be destroyed.

Cruise missile launch

After receiving the order to launch, 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 diving depth, so that nothing interferes with the launch of the rocket.

All data necessary for firing is entered. When a signal is received, hydraulics push the rocket out of the shaft. It always reaches the surface at an angle of about 50 degrees, which is achieved as a result of the operation of stabilization systems. Soon after this, the squibs drop the fairings, the wings and stabilizers open, and the main engine turns 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 are carried out by the inertial system.

Modernization works

Currently, the Americans are working to increase the flight range to three to 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 reinforced plastics that will be very strong and lightweight, but at the same time cheap enough to be put into mass production.

Secondly, it is planned to significantly improve target targeting accuracy. This is expected to be achieved through the introduction of new modules into the rocket design, responsible for precise 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 fact of the Tomahawk launch will become even more difficult to detect. It must be said that domestic designers are currently working on almost the same tasks, but in relation to our “Granit”. In addition, work is underway to reduce the radar signature of the missile and counter air defense systems.

For this purpose, it is planned to use more powerful computer systems to closely interact with their interference suppression devices. If all this works together, and the speed is 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, during which 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 was directed against the Iraqi authorities. The Americans launched 288 Tomahawks from submarines and surface flotilla ships. At least 85% of them are believed to have achieved their targets. 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, exclusively non-nuclear ammunition was used.