#Tomahawk cruise missile upgrade#
#Tomahawk cruise missile verification#

aircraft carrier were to get hit by one of those, we might start looking at cruise missile technology in a whole new light. It flies at two times the speed of sound, skimming at an altitude of just a few meters above the surface of the ocean, and it carries a 750-pound bomb. Russia, for example, is thought to have something called a Moskit missile. The fascinating thing is that many other countries are now beginning to deploy their own cruise missiles. That is the power of cruise missile technology. Imagine launching one of these missiles from Washington, D.C., and having it hit a specific garage in Miami two hours later without any human help.

In other words, a cruise missile is a flying robot that can deliver a 600-pound bomb with pinpoint accuracy. The other thing inside the cruise missile tube, of course, is the bomb. DSMAC makes it easy for the missile to hit moving targets.

#Tomahawk cruise missile verification#

from publication: Verification of Limits on Long-range Nuclear SLCMs Arms control. The missile can actually look for its target and match it with a picture in memory. Download Table Planned US Tomahawk Cruise Missile Deployment. The new missiles can attack enemy ships at sea or land targets.

#Tomahawk cruise missile upgrade#

And finally there is DSMAC, a computerized eye. Navy is set to upgrade its stock of Tomahawk cruise missiles to a new Block V standard.

Tercom lets the missile hug the ground and stay below the radar. This is a very detailed map of the hills and valleys along the missile’s route. Next is Tercom, or Terrain Contour Matching. An IGS uses accelerometers and can track where the missile is whenever it accelerates or turns. Second, it has something called an IGS, or inertial guidance system. That gives the missile a range of more than 1,000 miles.Īt the front of the missile is its robot brain.įirst it has the ability to track its position using GPS signals, just like a car with a navigation system. There is a big fuel tank inside the cruise missile to hold the jet fuel for this engine. It’s a powerful weapon that can be used against land and sea targets at a range of up to 1,553 miles (2,500 kilometers) and like the Kalibr, it can carry a nuclear warhead as well. It only weighs 145 pounds, but it can keep the missile flying at 550 mph. The Tomahawk is an American cruise missile that was first developed in the 1980s. The thing that is unique about the turbo fan on a cruise missile is its size.

It stands 18 to 20 feet tall depending on whether it has a booster and is described. Turbo fan engines are common - whenever you get on a commercial jet, it is a turbo fan engine that moves you through the sky. The Tomahawk is a 3,500-pound missile powered by a jet engine that is launched from a ship or submarine.