Posted on 02/18/2016 9:14:42 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
In the next decade, U.S. ships and submarines capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles will likely be fitted with a variant specifically designed to hit enemy ships up to 1,000 miles away, according to a report published in the U.S. Naval Institute News.
Vice Adm. Joseph Mulloy, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources told USNI News Wednesday that surface ships would receive the upgraded missiles first, followed by submarines. The move follows the Navy’s upcoming $434 million budget request that would modify a portion of the current stock of Tomahawks with the ability to strike maritime targets.
Tomahawks, or TLAMs, were first introduced in the 1980s and an early variant was actually designed to strike enemy ships but was withdrawn from service because of issues with the missile’s accuracy. In 2015, however, the Navy demonstrated that current versions of the missile could be modified to accurately hit moving naval targets.
According to the Navy’s 2017 budget, the modified Tomahawks will start testing in 2021 before being distributed to surface ships such as guided missile destroyers and cruisers as well guided missile submarines.
Mulloy’s comments come after Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter announced earlier this month that the SM-6 missile, a weapon designed specifically to intercept enemy warheads, would be upgraded to also attack enemy ships.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The destroyer USS Mustin launched a Tomahawk missile Sept. 17 in the Pacific Ocean during a simulated strike that was part of Exercise Valiant Shield 2014. The United States launched Tomahawk missiles to target Islamic State militants in Syria, the Pentagon announced Monday night. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Declan Barnes/Released)
TLAM tomahawk land attack missile UGM109E
TASM = tomahawk anti ship missile UGM109B
Not new idea at all, right out of the 80s
The Tomahawk has been around a long time now and is a bit long-in-the-tooth.
It is just so well designed and reliable that it seems there was no reason to go with a new design to make a ship killing cruise missile so they just upgraded the software.
I wonder if they had to upgrade the actual hardware at all?
It’s possible they are painting the targeted ships with a laser to make striking them much easier. A drone or a low orbit satellite could laser target a ship.
Thanks for all the aviation posts you make sukhoi-30mki!
I always enjoy such posts :-)
I got to wonder if Runssian anti-missile defenses wound have any issues with a sub sonic threat. They are not sitting ducks, would likely know this was incoming.
Sea skimmers present special issues for detection and intercept, the assumption that a weapon system is only useful against ships of the line is a bit narrow minded with out oilers and supply ships a fleet at sea does not stay there long.
Tomahawk Multi Mission Mode. It was a variation that was cancelled over a decade ago. Unitary warhead, configured for either land attack or antiship. Also a longer ranger than the original antiship RGM-109B.
I saw a video recently where i believe an F-22 was able to steer a tomahawk launched from from a naval vessel from like a hundred miles away into a moving ship.
That is the problem with subsonic stuff, lots of time to shoot it down once detected, regardless of which ship is being targeted.
Our navy sure as heck practices shooting at "crossing" targets, IOW stuff aimed at another ship, like an oiler or whatever.
I dunno, without a supersonic dash, I wonder about the ability for any of these to score a hit against modern ship defense stuff. The "CIWS uber alles" crew here on FR seems to think it can deal with Mach-3 incoming with no damage to the ship, so Mach .8 should be trivial.
The best the Soviets had aboard ship was the Ka-27 “Helix” and later Ka-31 “Hormone” rotary wing AEW which was at best fair to good but as was soviet practice solid designs.
The Hormone can detect Air Craft at about 150km not bad, but sea skimmers are a lot less easy to spot.
I would think that the new production TASM will have some RAM (Radar Absorbing Material) to make it even less easy to spot.
TASM (old version) could also do way point guidance so as to come from an unexpected direction or use coastal features for radar cover
To those that say sub-sonic sea skimmers are not the perfect solution are correct.
A time on target strike with the new Standard-6 (SM6) Missile and TASM will make for a nasty thing to deal with.
Add in a few Air Assets like Super Hornet with Harm missiles and Harpoons makes for a very complex defense situation for the enemy.
Pick up a copy of Harpoon by Lary Bond and give it a try the US Navy as used it as an intro to sea command.
Hmmm, not organic with the fleet when far from port. Shocked they have not closed that gap. Not like them.
Can they even THINK of closing the gap given their resources? Russia seems reconciled to the fact that it will primarily be a territorial power with the capability to carry out punitive strikes on a global basis, not project power in a realistic way.
I doubt its laser based the issues with weather make Laser Guided weapons some what more problematic at sea.
I have not read of any orbital laser guided system. Data Link with GPS / Inertial is probably more likely. Terminal guidance by millimeter wave or other radar and or thermal/optical is fairly common.
LG weapons were the most accurate in Gulf War but the limitations made finding better solutions a priority.
Yup, perhaps there are multiple methods in use...in fair wx perhaps laser...in bad wx radar...etc.
The US has built advanced long range stealth cruise missiles. They were nuclear armed and withdrawn from service due to treaty obligations. The US is presently testing a stealthy long range anti ship missile. The Lockheed Martin LRASM.
Most satellites have orbital periods of in the single digit hours range. It would be able to laser designate the ship for ~10 minutes. And not whatever 10 minutes you want, but a specific time slot determined by the ships position and the satellite orbit.
The Tomahawk would have to be launched up to an hour before the satellite was over the ship. Not a very practical solution.
Of course if one had a large enough constellation of laser designator satellites, they could hand off the job to another one. I suspect the number would be more than 50, but less than 100. Again, not a very practical idea.
Is there any answer for an incoming anti-carrier missile?
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