Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles. Complexes "Caliber" and Tomahawk

International politics Western countries(primarily England) of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, historians often call “gunboat diplomacy” for the desire to solve foreign policy problems using the threat of using military force. If we follow this analogy, then foreign policy The United States and its allies of the last quarter of the 20th and the beginning of this century can easily be called “tomahawk diplomacy.” In this phrase, “tomahawk” does not mean the favorite weapon of the indigenous population of North America, but the legendary cruise missile, which the Americans have regularly used in various local conflicts for several decades.

This missile system began to be developed back 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 into service, dozens of modifications of this cruise missile have been created, which can be used to destroy a wide variety of targets. Today, the US Navy is armed with fourth-generation BGM-109 missiles, and their further improvement continues.

Tomahawks turned out to be so effective that today they themselves are practically synonymous with a cruise missile. More than 2 thousand missiles have been used in various conflicts, and despite some misses and failures, these weapons have proven to be very effective.

A little history of the Tomahawk missile

Any cruise missile (CR) is, in fact, a flying bomb (by the way, the first samples of this weapon 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.

Humanity owes the appearance of the first serial cruise missile to the gloomy Teutonic genius: it was launched into production during the Second World War. "V-1" took an active part in hostilities - the Nazis used these missiles to attack British territory.

The V-1 was equipped with an air-breathing engine, its warhead weighed from 750 to 1000 kilograms, and its flight range reached from 250 to 400 kilometers.

The Germans called the V-1 a “weapon of retaliation,” and it was indeed quite effective. This rocket was simple and relatively cheap (compared to the V-2). The price of one product was only 3.5 thousand Reichsmarks - approximately 1% of the cost of a bomber with a similar bomb load.

However, no “miracle weapon” could save the Nazis from defeat. In 1945, all the Nazis' developments in the field of rocket weapons fell into the hands of the Allies.

In the USSR, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was involved in the development of cruise missiles immediately after the end of the war, then in this direction for many years another talented Soviet designer, Vladimir Chelomey, worked. After the beginning of the nuclear era, all work in the field of creating missile weapons immediately acquired the status of strategic, because missiles were considered as the main carrier of weapons of mass destruction.

In the 50s, the USSR was developing an intercontinental cruise missile, the Burya, which had two stages and was designed to deliver nuclear warheads. However, work was stopped for economic reasons. In addition, it was during this period that real progress was made in the field of creating ballistic missiles.

The United States also developed the SM-62 Snark cruise missile with an intercontinental range; it was even on combat duty for some time, but was later withdrawn from service. It became clear that in those days ballistic missiles turned out to be much more effective means delivery of 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 concerned about the American carrier strike groups (AUG).

Huge resources were invested in the development of anti-ship missile weapons, thanks to which the Granit, Malachite, Mosquito and Onyx anti-ship missiles appeared. Today, the Russian Armed Forces have the most advanced types of anti-ship cruise missiles; no other army in the world has anything like it.

Creation of the Tomahawk

In 1971, American admirals initiated the development of sea-launched strategic cruise missiles (SLCMs) capable of launching from submarines.

Initially, it was planned to create two types of missile launchers: a heavy missile with a flight range of up to 5,500 km and launched from SSBN missile launchers (55 inches in diameter) and a lighter version that could be launched directly from torpedo tubes (21 inches). The light missile launcher was supposed to have a flight range of 2,500 kilometers. Both missiles had a subsonic flight speed.

In 1972, a lighter rocket option was chosen and the developers were given the task of creating a new SLCM (Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile) rocket.

In 1974, the two most promising missile launchers were selected for demonstration launches; they turned out to be projects from 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 under development has become known as the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile, that is, a “sea-based cruise missile.”

However, this was not the last introduction that the developers of the missile system encountered.

In 1977, the American leadership initiated a new program in the field of missile weapons - JCMP (Joint Cruise Missile Project), the goal of which was to create a single (for the Air Force and Navy) cruise missile. During this period, the development of air-launched missile launchers was actively underway, and the combination of two programs into one led to 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 variant was created with a nuclear warhead, an anti-ship missile with a conventional warhead, and a missile launcher with a conventional warhead, designed to strike ground targets.

In 1980, the first tests of a naval modification of the missile were carried out: at the beginning of the year the 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 Tomahawk launches of various modifications took place; based on the results of these tests, a recommendation was issued to accept the missile system into service.

BGM-109 Tomahawk navigation system

The main problem with using cruise missiles against objects located on land was the imperfection of guidance systems. That is why cruise missiles have been practically synonymous for a very long time anti-ship weapons. 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 the creation of the Tomahawk missile possible. What is this system and on what principles does it work?

The work of TERCOM is based on the verification of altimeter data with a digital map of the earth's surface embedded in the on-board computer of the rocket.

This gives the Tomahawk several advantages that made this weapon so effective:

Flight at extremely low altitude, skirting the terrain. This ensures the missile's high stealth and makes it difficult to destroy by air defense systems. Tomahawk can only be discovered at the last moment, when it is too late to do anything. It is no less difficult to see a missile from above against the background of the earth: its detection range by aircraft does not exceed several tens of kilometers.
Full autonomy of flight and target guidance: Tomahawk uses information about the unevenness of the terrain to correct the course. You can deceive the rocket only 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 flight begins over land, the CD is controlled using gyroscopes.
The effectiveness of the system decreases over flat, low-contrast terrain, where the elevation difference is insignificant (steppe, desert, tundra).
Enough high value circular probable deviation (CPD). 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, the Tomahawks were equipped with an additional navigation and flight correction system, DSMAC (Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation). It was from this moment that the Tomahawk turned from a weapon of thermonuclear Armageddon into a threat to everyone who does not love democracy and does not share Western values. The new modification of the missile 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 terrain with digital photographs stored in the on-board computer. Using this method of guidance, a missile can hit a separate small building - the CEP of the new modification has decreased to 10 meters.

Cruise missiles with a similar guidance system also had two modifications: Block-II attacked the selected target at low level, 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 the warhead, 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 warhead mass (while maintaining its power) and a more advanced engine, which increased the Tomahawk's flight range to 1,600 km. In addition, Block-III became the first missile to receive a guidance system using GPS.

Modifications of "Tomahawks"

Taking into account the active use of Tomahawks, the US military leadership set the manufacturer the task of significantly reducing the cost of its product and improving some of its characteristics. This is how the RGM/UGM-109E Tactical Tomahawk appeared, which entered service in 2004.

This rocket used a cheaper plastic body and a simpler engine, which almost halved its cost. At the same time, the “Axe” has become even deadlier and more dangerous.

The rocket used more advanced electronics; it is equipped with an inertial guidance system, the TERCOM system, as well as DSMAC (with the ability to use infrared images of the area) and GPS. In addition, the tactical Tomahawk uses a two-way UHF satellite communications system, which allows the weapon to be retargeted in flight. A television camera installed on the missile defense system makes it possible to assess the state of the target in real time and make decisions about continuing the attack or striking 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 in the new missile the most serious drawback inherent in current modifications: the inability to hit moving sea and ground targets. In addition, the new Topor will be equipped with a modern millimeter-wave radar.

Application of BGM-109 Tomahawk

The Tomahawk has been used in every conflict in recent decades in which the United States has been involved. The first serious test for these weapons was the Gulf War in 1991. During the Iraqi campaign, almost 300 missile launchers were launched, the vast majority of which successfully completed the mission.

Later, the Tomahawk missile launcher was used in several smaller 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.

BGM-109 Tomahawk device

The Tomahawk cruise missile is a monoplane equipped with two small folding wings in the central part and a cross-shaped stabilizer in the tail. The fuselage is cylindrical in shape. The missile has a subsonic flight speed.

The body consists of aluminum alloys and (or) special plastic with low radar signature.

The control and guidance system is a combined one; it consists of three components:

inertial;
by terrain (TERCOM);
electro-optical (DSMAC);
using GPS.

Anti-ship modifications have 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 missile launcher there is a guidance and flight control system, followed by 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, giving initial acceleration. It carries the rocket to a height of 300-400 meters, after which it separates. Then the tail fairing is dropped, the stabilizer and wings are deployed, and the main engine is turned on. The rocket reaches a given altitude (15-50 m) and speed (880 km/h). This speed is quite low for a rocket, but it allows for 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 missile modifications also varies.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BGM-109 Tomahawk

The Tomahawk is undoubtedly a highly effective weapon. Universal, cheap, capable of solving many problems. Of course, it has disadvantages, but there are many more advantages.

Advantages:

due to the low flight altitude and the use of special materials, Tomahawks are a serious problem for air defense systems;
missiles have very high accuracy;
these weapons are not covered by cruise missile agreements;
Tomahawk missile launchers have a low maintenance cost (when compared with ballistic missiles);
this weapon is relatively cheap to produce: the cost of one missile in 2014 was $1.45 million, for some modifications it can reach $2 million;
versatility: various types of combat units, as well as different ways target destruction allows the Tomahawk to be used against a wide variety of targets.

If you compare the cost of using these missiles with conducting a full-scale air operation using hundreds of aircraft, suppressing enemy air defense and installing jamming, it will seem simply ridiculous. Current modifications of these missiles can quickly and effectively destroy stationary enemy targets: airfields, headquarters, warehouses and communications centers. Tomahawks were also used very successfully against enemy civilian infrastructure.

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 work aviation or military invasion.

The current modifications of the “Axe” also have disadvantages:

low flight speed;
the flight range of a conventional missile is lower than that of a missile launcher with a nuclear warhead (2500 versus 1600 km);
inability to attack moving targets.

We can also add that the missile defense system cannot maneuver with large overloads to counter air defense systems, nor use decoys.

Currently, work on modernizing the cruise missile continues. They are aimed at extending its flight range, increasing the warhead, and also making the missile even “smarter.” The latest modifications of the Tomahawks are, in fact, real UAVs: they can loiter in a given area for 3.5 hours, choosing the most worthy “victim”. In this case, all data collected by the radar sensors is transmitted to the control center.

Technical characteristics of BGM-109 Tomahawk

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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 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 significant 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 the destruction of 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. High shooting accuracy and significant power nuclear warhead The Tomahawk BGM-109A strategic missile system allows you 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 overpressure 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 bombs of combined action (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 ensures the location of the missile launcher 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.

To store and launch Tomahawk missiles on SSNs, standard torpedo tubes (TA) or special vertical launch units (UVP) Mk45 are used (see diagram), and on surface ships, container-type launchers Mk143 are used (see diagram, photo 1, photo 2) or UVP Mk41. To store the boat version of the rocket, a steel capsule (weight 454 kg) filled with nitrogen under low pressure is used. This allows the missile to be kept ready for use for 30 months. The capsule with the missile is loaded into the TA or UVP like a regular torpedo.

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 feet. This is considered a low speed for the 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 using. sensor called TERCOM, TERCOM can follow a pre-programmed route with such accuracy, one might say, deadly, that the missile is capable of destroying targets, even highly protected ones and practically inaccessible to others. 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 radar detection, and even if the radar detects the target, the Tomahawk will look like a seagull on the screen (ed. Dave77777 "Chaika" 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 12 m 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 Mk45 UVP, 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. When released, it destroys the membrane of the capsule that held back the pressure sea water, vertically comes 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 launch solid propellant is fired using the 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 rocket weapons Tomahawk The United States is pursuing a large-scale program for the development and improvement of sea-launched cruise missiles, which includes:
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 cruise missile medium range Airborne AGM-109H. 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 slowed down 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 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 missile 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 (by 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 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

Firing range, km
BGM-109A when launched from a surface ship	2500
BGM-109С/D when launched from a surface ship	1250
BGM-109С/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-109С	semi-armor-piercing - 120kg
BGM-109D	cassette - 120kg
F-107 main engine
Fuel	RJ-4
Fuel mass, kg	550
Dry engine weight, kg	64
Thrust, kg	272
Length, mm	940
Diameter, mm	305

Sources

The sea-launched Tomahawk missile system includes surface- or underwater-launched cruise missiles, launchers, missile control system and support equipment.

The 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 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 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 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 missile launcher 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 ensures the location of the missile launcher 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.

To store and launch Tomahawk missiles on SSNs, standard torpedo tubes (TA) or special vertical launch units (UVP) Mk45 are used (see diagram, photo), and on surface ships, container-type launchers Mk143 are used (see diagram, photo1, photo2) or UVP Mk41.

To store the boat version of the rocket, a steel capsule (weight 454 kg) filled with nitrogen under low pressure is used (see,). This allows the missile to be kept ready for use for 30 months. The capsule with the missile is loaded into the TA or UVP like a regular torpedo.

American submarines have four bow-mounted hydraulic tubes, placed on the sides (two each) at an angle of 10-12° to the center plane of the ship and allowing firing from great depths, which significantly reduces unmasking factors. TA pipes are made of three sections: bow, central and stern. Loading and correct positioning of the capsule with CR in the TA pipes is carried out using guide bars and support rollers. The firing mechanism is connected to the drives for opening and closing the lids of the device. The back cover is equipped with a water meter and inspection window, which allows you to monitor the filling (draining) of the TA, a pressure gauge, as well as a cable input connecting the control devices of the KR with the firing control panel. The hydraulic firing system of the CR has a high-pressure pulse air cylinder, a hydraulic booster and a water system heater. A hydraulic cylinder is installed on each group of two TA pipes on 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, moves. The latter works for its TA group and supplies water to them through a pressure tank connected to each device through slotted slots. When the piston moves, water from the injection tank under pressure enters first into the aft part of the launcher pipe, and then through the holes into the capsule, creating the excess pressure necessary to eject the rocket from the launcher. The drive levers for opening the front covers of the TA are interlocked in such a way that only one cover in the group can be opened at a time, and therefore, one device will be connected to the pressure tank.

Firing control, monitoring the status of missile launchers in the launch vehicle and air defense missile launcher, checking them, coordinating the launch and accounting for missile consumption are carried out using the fire control system (FCS). Its components on the submarine are located in the central control room and torpedo compartment. In the central post of the boat there is a control panel, a computer and a data conversion unit. Information is displayed and control data is output on the control panel display panel. On surface ships, the control system is stored in a container installed in the ship's weapons control room. The system uses software and computer interfaces that make it possible to issue target designations and coordinate the firing of the Tomahawk cruise missile at ground targets from one ship to other ships of the formation or group.

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 12 m 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 Mk45 UVP, 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 emerges 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 launch solid propellant is fired using the 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 includes:

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 CO 2 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.

The latest modification, RGM/UGM-109E Tac Tom Block 4 (tactical Tomahawk), was offered to the fleet in 1998 by Raytheon as a cheap replacement for previous generation missiles. The main goal of the Tac Tom program was a rocket that would be significantly, almost three times cheaper (569 thousand dollars) to produce than the previous TLAM-C/D Block 3 model (about one and a half million dollars).

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 product was the inability to fire through a torpedo tube. The guidance system has new capabilities for target identification and in-flight retargeting. The missile can be reprogrammed in-flight via satellite (ultra-high frequency) communications to target any 15 predetermined additional targets. The missile has the technical ability to 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 receiving a command to hit the target, or it can be used as an unmanned aircraft for additional reconnaissance of an already hit target.

The Navy's total order for the new missile between 1999 and 2015 amounted to more than three thousand units.

In 2014, Raytheon began test flights of an improved modification of Block IV 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 range (wavelength - 2.5 cm) is capable of autonomously determining by the reflected electromagnetic signal, comparing it with an archive of signatures of potential targets stored in the on-board computer : “friend” - “foreign” ship or civilian ship. Depending on the answer, the missile independently decides which target to attack. The new seeker will be installed instead of the AN/DXQ-1 DSMAC optical-electronic module. The total volume of fuel is reduced to 360 kilograms, the operational range of the missile is from 1600 to 1200 kilometers.

Performance characteristics

Firing range, km
BGM-109A when launched from a surface ship	2500
BGM-109С/D when launched from a surface ship	1250
BGM-109С/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-109С	semi-armor-piercing - 120kg
BGM-109D	cassette - 120kg
F-107 main engine
Fuel	RJ-4
Fuel mass, kg	550
Dry engine weight, kg	64
Thrust, kg	272
Length, mm	940
Diameter, mm	305

In a sense, it was cruise missiles that turned out to be the first combat drones, only disposable ones. About the differences combat use KR and UAVs are discussed in his article on the pages of the Russian Arms news agency by Alexander Khramchikhin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis.

The combat use of cruise missiles began earlier than UAVs. The ancestor of this class of weapons in its modern sense were American missiles, primarily the BGM-109 Tomahawk SLCM, which are now perceived almost as synonymous with the very concept of “cruise missile.”

The US Navy ordered 361 Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles from Raytheon for a total cost of $337.84 million.

The Tomahawk has become an extremely successful weapon, despite such serious shortcomings as low speed with a complete lack of defensive capabilities. The main advantage of Tomahawks is the safety and impunity of their use with very high efficiency; this allows us to neglect these disadvantages.

The United States has already spent more than 1.9 thousand SLCMs and ALCMs in wars with fairly good results. Although there were misses and losses of missiles various reasons, most of them hit their intended targets.

In the US Navy, 7 types of ships carry SLCMs.

1. Ohio-class SSGN(4 units) – up to 154 SLCMs each in special silos (instead of silos for SLBMs).

2. Virginia-class submarine(9 units, a total of 30-40 will be built) - each has 12 SLCMs in special silos, up to 38 more can, along with torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, be part of the ammunition intended for firing through torpedo tubes.

3. Seawolf type PLA(3 units) – each has up to 50 SLCMs as part of the ammunition fired through the TA.

4. Los Angeles class submarine(42 units + 1 in reserve, gradually being withdrawn from the Navy) - each has 12 SLCMs in special silos (for 31 submarines) and up to 37 as part of the ammunition fired through the tube.

5. Ticonderoga-class cruisers(22 units) – each with up to 122 SLCMs in 2 UVP Mk41.

6. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers(60 units, it will be 75 or 99) – up to 90 SLCMs in 2 Mk41 airborne missile launchers on the first 28 ships, up to 96 on the next.

7. Zamvolt-class destroyers(3 will be built) – each with up to 80 SLCMs in 2 UVP Mk57.

In total, the US Navy has approximately 2.5-2.8 thousand SLCMs, primarily the latest modification of the Tactical Tomahawk (361 more were recently ordered). It should be noted that this missile cannot be launched from SSN torpedo tubes, but only from special silos.

In the US Air Force, the only carrier of ALCM is strategic bomber B-52, capable of carrying up to 20 such missiles (AGM-86 and AGM-129). The number of B-52s in the Air Force theoretically reaches 89, of which 13 are located at the base - the Davis-Monthan warehouse.

Presumably, the total number of B-52s will soon be reduced to 40-50 vehicles; they will remain in service until 2044. Currently, the Air Force has approximately 1.6 thousand ALCMs (a total of 1,733 AGM-86 and 676 AGM-129 were manufactured ).

UK Army cruise missile carriers

In addition to the United States, Tomahawks are in service with the British Navy; all British submarines are equipped with them (6 Trafalgar types and 2 Estute types, 6 of the latter will also be built).

Very high efficiency, high flight range (1.2-2.5 thousand km depending on modification), safety and impunity of use with the relative cheapness of the American Tomahawks have generated significant interest in cruise missiles.

Main competitors of Tomahawks

Today, the main competitors of the Tomahawks are the Yakhont-Onyx-Brahmos (Russian-Indian) and (Club) (Russian) families of cruise missiles. The winged one is distinguished by a fairly powerful warhead (250 kg) and a long flight range (300 km) at a very high flight speed (up to 2.5M) and minimum height flight 5 m, which makes it virtually invulnerable to any existing air defense/missile defense systems.

In addition, this missile is universal in terms of carriers (surface ships, Su-30 fighters, ground-based launchers). In terms of speed and versatility, this family of missiles is superior to the American Tomahawk missiles (inferior to it in range), and has no other analogues in principle.

Already, all 10 submarines of Project 877, 5 Rajput-class destroyers, the last 3 Delhi-class destroyers, all frigates of Project 17 and Talwar of the Indian Navy are armed with Brahmos anti-ship missiles. They will also be used to arm the Calcutta-class destroyers, of which it is planned to build from 7 to 11 units.

BrahMos missile launchers on Indian Navy destroyer Rajput

Obviously, the ground version of the missile will be widely used; all (more than 270) Su-30s of the Indian Air Force will be carriers of the Brahmos. In Russia itself there will be much fewer carriers of the Onyx missile launcher. So far these are only promising Project 885M submarines; in addition, it is planned to re-equip Project 949A submarines with these missiles.

The Bastion complex is offered in two versions: mobile "Bastion-P" and stationary "Bastion-S"

Also in Russia, Vietnam and Syria there is a coastal version of the Onyx-Yakhont missiles (it’s called). The most important advantage of the Caliber (Club) missiles is the possibility of hidden deployment in containers that are no different in appearance from conventional cargo ones.

Accordingly, they can be used from civilian ships (container ships can carry hundreds of such missiles), car trailers, and trains. Whether Russia itself or any other country has such a deployed version of the “Caliber” is unknown.

But it is known that these missiles are in service with diesel submarines Project 877 and 636 of the Russian Navy, the Chinese Navy, India, and in the future Vietnam. They can also be used from Russian submarines of Project 971, promising frigates of Project 11356 and Project 20385, corvettes of Project 20385, Indian frigates of the Talvar and Shivalik types (Project 17).

These missiles can hit ground and surface targets, and there is also an anti-submarine version. In general, both of these families are superior to the Tomahawk in terms of launcher versatility.

Taking into account the high flight speed, the possibility of use from ground-based launchers and from tactical (front-line) aircraft makes Russian missiles more functional than American ones, although they are inferior in flight range.

The DH-10 ground-launched cruise missile (housed in mobile launchers with three missiles each) deserves great attention.

At the same time, India is also creating its own Nirbey cruise missile. It will be as versatile in terms of carriers as the Brahmos, and its flight range will reach 1 thousand km, although its speed will be subsonic. In addition to these countries, cruise missiles are being developed by states that have the technological capabilities for this, and at the same time are ready for a serious war. These are China, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Pakistan.

Moreover, for Taiwan, the massive deployment of cruise missiles various types basing is the only (albeit very slim) chance of salvation in the event of Chinese aggression.

Naturally, China is the most active in creating cruise missiles, which has at its disposal both Soviet ones received from Ukraine and Tomahawks purchased in Pakistan. By synthesizing them, the DH-10 and CJ-10 missiles were created, which can be used against both ground and surface targets, used from automobile and ship launchers, as well as from the N-6M bomber.

CJ-10 missiles were created by synthesizing existing missiles

It is assumed that these missiles combine supersonic speed with a very high range (2.5-4 thousand km). A family of subsonic HN cruise missiles is also being created, which will be launched from various launchers, including the JH-7 tactical bomber, submarines, destroyers and frigates of Project 054A.

The Republic of Korea has created the Hyunmu-3 family of subsonic SLCMs with a flight range of 500 to 2000 km, launched from existing submarines and destroyers, as well as from promising Incheon-class frigates.

Taiwan is creating cruise missiles based on the Hsiung Feng-2 anti-ship missile system. They are subsonic, their flight range is, according to various sources, from 600 to 1000 km. A significant part of the largest cities and objects of the “new economy” in southeast China, the most developed region of the PRC, fall within their reach.

In combination with numerous “Xiong Feng” variants of the anti-ship missile system itself (including the supersonic “Xiong Feng-3”), they can create certain problems for China in the event of an attempt to solve the “Taiwan problem” by force, although they are unlikely to prevent the seizure of the island. The Pakistani Babur and Raad cruise missiles were discussed in the article “Unofficial Potentials”.

The same article stated that Israel is capable of using SLCMs, incl. in nuclear equipment, with Dolphin-class submarines, but it is not very clear what kind of missiles these are. Apparently, we are talking about a naval version of the Popeye aircraft missile, the range of which may reach 1.5 thousand km. Air-launched cruise missiles have a shorter range than SLCMs due to weight and size limitations.

In addition to the Brahmos and the Chinese HN-1, these include the American JASSM AGM-158 missile, the range of which is 360 km, and the latest modification is 980 km. Almost all American combat aircraft carry it.

German-Swedish Taurus ALCM with a range of 500 km

European fighters can be armed with the German-Swedish Taurus ALCM with a range of 500 km and the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/Scalp with a range of 250 km. All these missiles are subsonic. High accuracy and significant range, exceeding the range of the vast majority or even all air defense systems, guarantee further expansion of the use of cruise missiles of all deployment options.

These missiles can be successfully used in both classical and counterinsurgency wars. In this case, of course, the main area for the development, production and use of this class of weapons will be the new center of the world - Asia.

They will rain fire from the sky. Like a gust of “divine wind” sweeping enemy battalions from the face of the Earth. Winged suicide robots. They are braver than the bravest kamikazes and more ruthless than the fiercest SS Sonderkommandos.

Not a single muscle will tremble in the face of death. Machines are not afraid to kill and die. They are already dead to begin with. And, if necessary, they will disappear without hesitation in a blinding flash when colliding with a target.

In the meantime... the rocket rushes through the darkness of the night to the place of its death.
An hour ago, she left the cozy cell on board the submarine and, breaking through the layer cold water, jumped to the surface. The booster flame roared, lifting the Tomahawk to a height of 1,000 feet. There, on the descending branch of the launch site, the engine air intake extended, the short wings and tail unit opened: the combat robot rushed behind the head of its victim. Now nothing can save the unfortunate people whose photographs are placed in the memory of the flying killer...

Myth No. 1. The Tomahawk solves everything.

Nikita Sergeevich, are you still here?!

Missile euphoria does not leave minds and hearts: the impressive capabilities of the “Axe” have given rise to confidence that the use of cruise missiles alone can bring victory in any war.

Why risk an expensive plane and the priceless life of the pilot? These endless trainings and advanced training of flight crews. Airfields, fuel, ground staff...
Why such difficulties and unjustified risk if you can drive a squadron of submarines and pelt the enemy with thousands of flying suicide robots? The flight range of the "Axe" in the "conventional" version - 1200...1600 km - allows you to complete the mission without entering the enemy army's kill zone. Simple, effective and safe.

12 launchers in the bow of the Los Angeles-class submarine

The mass of the missile warhead is 340 kg. There are a dozen various options Warheads for various types of targets: cluster, armor-piercing, semi-armor-piercing, “regular” high-explosive warheads... Several attack algorithms: from horizontal flight, from a dive, with detonation during horizontal flight over the target. All this allows you to complete almost any task on enemy territory.

Eliminate the selected target, destroy any military or civilian infrastructure. Destroy the airfield runway, set fire to the hangar with military equipment, knock down a radio tower, blow up a power plant, break through several meters of earth and concrete - and destroy a protected command post.

Work is continuously underway to expand the tactical flexibility of using cruise missiles: the latest modification of the RGM/BGM-109E Tactical Tomahawk was equipped with satellite communications and GPS navigation units. The new missile can loiter in the air, waiting for the right moment to attack. In addition, she gained the ability to reprogram in flight and, depending on the situation, attack one of 15 pre-designated targets.

Attack from level flight

The only thing that the Tomahawk still cannot do is attack moving objects.*

* the ability to effectively hit moving targets, incl. ships, was implemented in the Tomahawk modification Block IV Multi-Mode Mission (TMMM), which was recognized as excessively expensive and was never adopted by the US Navy

In addition, there was a modification of the BGM-109B Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missle (TASM) - an anti-ship version of the Tomahawk with an active radar seeker from the Harpoon anti-ship missile system. Due to the lack of a worthy enemy, TASM was withdrawn from service about 10 years ago.

Intercept a convoy with (for example, S-300 air defense vehicles on the march) or delay an advancing tank battalion? Modern cruise missiles are powerless on such missions. We'll have to call the air force.
Front-line bombers, attack aircraft, attack helicopters, UAVs, in the end - these “birds” still have no equal over the battlefield. High tactical flexibility (up to complete cancellation of the mission and return to base) and a wide range of ammunition make aviation indispensable in the fight against ground targets.

Nevertheless, the trend is clear: the experience of local wars over the past 20 years has demonstrated a 10-fold increase in the role of sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). Every year, “Tomahawks” acquire new skills and “gain permission” to perform increasingly complex tasks.

The destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) shells Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn (2011)

As practice has shown, SLCMs are quite successful in “trampling” a victim into the Stone Age, destroying the air defense system and disorganizing the enemy army. Left in the very first hours of the war without radars, air defense systems, airfields, power plants, fuel storage facilities, cell and radio communication towers, command posts etc. strategically important objects, the enemy turns out to be unable to provide serious resistance. Now you can take it “warm”.

In such conditions, ultra-expensive and complex stealth aircraft and other “raptors” become unnecessary. Bomb bridges and retreating tank columns from an unattainable height? Simple and cheap F-16s can easily cope with this task.

Myth No. 2. "Tomahawk" is capable of hitting a window.

The accuracy of the Tomahawk is a source of heated debate. During Operation Desert Storm, fragments of American missiles were found even on Iranian territory - some of the Axes veered off course by several hundred kilometers! The result of a programmer error or an accidental failure in the on-board computer of the rocket...

But what are the real capabilities of the Tomahawks? What is the calculated value of their circular probable deviation (CPD)?

Traditional Tomahawk guidance methods include:

INS for flights over terrain with weak radar contrast (for example, over the sea - the water is the same everywhere). Gyroscopes and accelerometers operate until the missile arrives in the first correction area over the enemy’s coast, then guidance is carried out using more high-tech methods.

Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) relief metric system - scans the underlying terrain and compares the received data with radar images stored in the missile's memory.

The very principle of TERCOM’s operation is the basis for many jokes: “While the Yankees are preparing the flight mission, our construction battalion will dig up the entire terrain again”! But seriously speaking, TERCOM is one of the most reliable and effective methods of targeting SLCMs. The Tomahawk navigates the terrain autonomously: it does not require constant guidance from a satellite or from a remote operator. This increases reliability and eliminates the risk of being deceived by enemy signals.

On the other hand, this imposes a number of limitations - for example, TERCOM is ineffective when flying over deserts or snowy tundra. The terrain should include a maximum of contrasting objects (hills, roads and clearings, railway embankments, populated areas). The route is laid in such a way as to avoid open water spaces (lakes, estuaries) on the path of the rocket big rivers etc.) - otherwise, this may lead to critical failures in the rocket’s navigation system.

All this creates for the Yankees such a problem as the “predictability” of their missile attacks and, as a result, an increase in losses among the missiles fired. The enemy (if, of course, he has even a drop of intelligence) will quickly figure out the main directions of the threat - and deploy air defense systems there.

Third method of guidance. The optical-electronic system DSMAC in the final part of the trajectory of the rocket behaves like the legendary Terminator from James Cameron's action movie: it continuously scans the area with its electronic “eye”, comparing the appearance of the “victim” with a digital photograph embedded in its memory. The future has already arrived!

Finally, the latest modification of the “Axe” received the ability to navigate using GPS data. This greatly simplifies the process of preparing for launch, because... there is no need for complex maps for TERCOM operation (routes and radar images of the area are prepared in advance, on shore - in the flight mission preparation centers on the territory of the Norfolk and Camp Smith naval bases).

If operating in GPS navigation mode, the ship’s crew can independently “drive” coordinates into the rocket’s memory, without any specific description of the target - then the rocket will do everything itself, simply exploding near the specified location. Accuracy decreases, but efficiency increases. Now SLCMs can be used as a means of fire support and work on emergency calls for Marines.

In field conditions, if available high-quality images“targets”, the value of the circular probable deviation of the “Tomahawk” is indicated within 5...15 meters. And this is with a launch range of 1000 kilometers or more! Impressive.

Myth No. 3. The Tomahawk is easy to shoot down.

Well, then do it! Doesn't work?...

The safety of the Ax is ensured by its secrecy. The extremely low flight altitude - only a few tens of meters - makes it invisible to ground-based radars. The radio horizon in this case does not exceed 20-30 km, and if we take into account natural obstacles (hills, buildings, trees), detecting a low-flying missile that cleverly hides in the folds of the terrain seems to be a very dubious undertaking.

Special operations boat based on the USS Ohio. In total, the ship's 22 missile silos accommodate 154 Tomahawks + 2 silos are used as airlocks for combat swimmers

To detect, escort and hit such a “difficult target” from the ground - this requires a large amount of luck and, preferably, knowledge of the most likely approach routes for Tomahawks. A coincidence, nothing more. There is no need to talk about any effective counteraction to swarms of SLCMs.

Intercepting an Ax by air is no less difficult - the small size and EPR of the missile make “hunting Tomahawks” an extremely difficult undertaking.

Dimensions of the Tomahawk SLCM: length - 5.6 m, wingspan - 2.6 m.
For comparison, the dimensions of the Su-27 fighter: length - 22 meters, wingspan - 14.7 meters.

“Axe” has a smooth, streamlined shape, without any radio-contrast parts or hanging elements. The Yankees are hinting at the use of radio-absorbing coatings and materials transparent to radio waves in its design. Even without taking into account the elements of stealth technology, the effective dispersion area of the Tomahawk missile does not exceed 1 square meter. meters - too little to detect it from a great distance. Finally, the search for a flying missile is carried out against the background of the earth, which introduces additional difficulties into the operation of fighter radars.

Official data on the MiG-31 interceptor confirms the following: from an altitude of 6000 meters, target acquisition with an EPR of 1 square. meter flying at an altitude of 60 meters is carried out at a distance of 20 km.
Considering that only one SSGN on the Ohio platform is capable of launching up to 154 SLCMs, the required number of fighters to repel an attack will exceed the capabilities of the Air Force of any of the countries against which the Yankees are going to fight.

Wreckage of a downed Tomahawk at the Belgrade Aviation Museum

In practice, the situation looked like this: during the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia, the US and British Navy fired about 700 Tomahawks at targets on the territory of the FRY. Official Serbian sources give figures of 40...45 SLCMs shot down, NATO representatives disagree and give even lower figures. In general, the situation is sad: the Serbian military barely managed to shoot down 5% of the missiles fired at them.
It is noteworthy that one of the “Axes” was shot down by a Serbian MiG-21 - the pilot established visual contact with it, got close and shot the robot from the on-board cannon.

Myth No. 4. "Tomahawks" are only suitable for war with the Papuans.

The cost of a Tomahawk missile, depending on its modification and type of warhead, can reach $2 million. To release 500 of these “things” means ruining the US budget by 1 billion green banknotes.
Flight range 1200…1600 km. Warhead 340 kg. Combined guidance system - relief TERCOM, DSMAC, satellite communication and navigation systems. The starting weight is within one and a half tons. Carriers are destroyers and nuclear submarines.

No, gentlemen. So destructive and expensive weapons was not created to exterminate the unfortunate inhabitants of Papua New Guinea. The Tomahawk should be used wisely; just scattering two million rockets across the desert is an unheard of extravagance even for wealthy Yankees.

Launch of a Tomahawk SLCM from the nuclear-powered cruiser USS Mississippi (CGN-40), Operation Desert Storm, 1991. The missile is launched from an armored launcher Mk.143 Armored Launch Box

You don’t need to be smart enough to determine the purpose of cruise missiles - a stunning blow to the military and civilian infrastructure of an enemy that has some military potential: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yugoslavia... Against those who are able to snap back and resist.

In these cases, the Yankees pull out their “insurance policy” from their sleeve - a flock of flying killers that will “clear” corridors in the country’s air defense system, disorganize the enemy army and allow NATO aircraft to seize air supremacy. The Tomahawk cruise missile is not subject to any arms limitation treaties or conventions - which means you can feel free to launch Axes left and right without any remorse.

As for ordinary Basmachi with Berdan guns, the Yankees smear them with 105 mm howitzers installed in the openings of the sides of AS-130 “gunships”. Tomahawk missiles and other high-tech are of no use there.

Myth No. 5. "Tomahawks" pose a danger to Russia

Russia, along with India and China, is one of the few countries that can ignore the US Navy and its saber-rattling. "Tomahawk" - clean tactical weapon for local wars. This trick won't work with Russia - the Russian General Staff won't understand American jokes, and it could end in a terrible thermonuclear massacre.

Even in theory, with a ratified treaty with the United States on mutual renunciation of the use of nuclear weapons, naval cruise missiles are ineffective against purely continental Russia - all industrial centers, arsenals and strategically important facilities are located a thousand kilometers from the coast, at the limit of the Tomahawk's flight range.

As for the possible equipping of the Axes with thermonuclear warheads, this threat would make sense only in the absence of intercontinental ballistic missiles. In the event of a war using Trident-2, a belated strike cruise missiles(the flight time of the Tomahawks will be calculated in many hours) will no longer have any meaning.

The thrifty Yankees were well aware of the futility of the Ax as a carrier of nuclear weapons, so they scrapped all their nuclear SLCMs 20 years ago.

Number of nuclear warheads in service with the US Armed Forces. Thick line - strategic warheads for ICBMs. The thin line is "tactical" nuclear weapons, incl. "Tomahawks" with SBCh