F-22Raptor
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2014
- Messages
- 16,980
- Reaction score
- 3
- Country
- Location
One lesson the U.S. Navy has learned in dealing with emergent threats is that it is a lot easier to adapt what you already have to new challenges than start over with a completely new solution.
The Tomahawk cruise missile, carried on 145 U.S. warships, is a striking example of this principle at work. Tomahawk first joined the fleet in 1983 and figured prominently in both Persian Gulf wars, but today’s Tomahawk is very different from the cruise missiles used in those conflicts, and tomorrow’s Tomahawks will be something else again.
Superficially, the weapon doesn’t look much different. It still resembles the “flying torpedo” first imagined by futurists shortly after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk. But internally, Tomahawk has been repeatedly transformed as new technology and operating concepts added capabilities.
These generational updates are referred to by the Naval Air Systems Command, which oversees Tomahawk acquisition, as “blocks.” The current Block IV configuration joined the fleet in 2004, adding features such as in-flight reprogramming of targets via satellite links and the ability to loiter for long periods over war zones.
But as the thousands of Block IV Tomahawks in the Navy’s inventory now begin their 15-year recertification—the weapon has a shelf life of 30 years—the Navy is using that process to once again update the weapon’s capabilities with new technologies not available in 2004.
Recertification requires that every component in the missile be inspected and tested to assure readiness for combat, so it provides an opportunity to switch out parts if new features are desired. Tomahawk’s modular design facilitates such insertions, and recertification will thus drive modernization of the weapon to a new Block V configuration.
All of the Tomahawks in the fleet will retain their land-attack capability, which enables precise destruction of high-value targets deep in defended territory with minimal collateral damage. Whether they are launched from a surface warship or a submarine, Tomahawks typically hit within ten yards of intended targets using a variety of guidance methods including GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain contour matching.
What makes Block V different is that contractor Raytheon (a contributor to my think tank) is adding an anti-ship capability and a hard-target kill capability to specific lots of the missile. The “maritime strike” variant will have a new seeker capable of precisely identifying and targeting moving warships at sea. The hard-target kill version will carry an advanced warhead capable of destroying densely-constructed enemy assets previously requiring more specialized munitions.
The need for both capabilities was dictated by emerging threats in Eurasia. For instance, the Navy increasingly finds itself facing Russian and Chinese adversaries with longer-range anti-ship munitions than those carried on U.S. warships. The maritime strike version of Tomahawk will rectify that disparity with a munition that can strike hostile, maneuvering warships over a thousand miles away.
The hard-target version will be able to take out reinforced concrete command posts and other super-strong structures that otherwise might have provided sanctuary for enemy forces. The Navy has other ways of addressing such targets—most notably with the strike fighters of carrier air wings—but by using Tomahawk the Navy will be able to destroy a diverse array of targets even when carriers are not nearby, or when they are nearby but combatant commanders do not want to risk pilots and their planes.
Block V Tomahawk thus presents itself as the most affordable option for bolstering the Navy’s arsenal of long-range precision strike munitions without having to introduce a new weapon into the fleet. The basic footprint of the missile will not change—it will still fit into vertical launchers on surface warships, torpedo tubes on submarines, and other launch systems already extant that the joint force may elect to deploy in the future. (A land-based version of Tomahawk was successfully flight-tested in August.)
The Navy has taken delivery of over 4,000 Block IV Tomahawks since 2004, about a tenth of which have been used in combat and testing. Naval Air Systems Command intends to update the arsenal to the Block V configuration by purchasing a mix of new missiles and existing missiles that have been enhanced via recertification. Some of the Block Vs will be maritime-strike variants, some will be hard-target killers, and some will be “basic” Block V Tomahawks delivering targeting flexibility and lethality similar to Block IVs.
One issue that arises in equipping the fleet for a future of great-power competition is the survivability of existing munitions in attacking well-defended targets. The Navy is contemplating purchase of a stealthy cruise missile adapted from an Air Force munition that would be exceptionally difficult for enemy defenders to counter. However, a recent internal government study found that Tomahawk is likely to remain highly viable for many years to come. The Navy does not talk much about features built into Tomahawk designed to enhance its survivability—such as its ability to perform evasive maneuvers at extremely low altitudes—but the fact that the Navy is investing in a new generation of Tomahawks speaks for itself. Survivability does not seem to be a major concern.
Block V Tomahawks are likely to cost about a million dollars each, which arguably is a bargain for a munition that can reliably take out diverse targets over a thousand miles away worth many times that amount without causing major collateral damage. The fact that new or recertified Tomahawks can be sent to the fleet without major modifications to existing launch systems is undoubtedly a plus at a time when defense spending is likely to peak and then gradually decline.
But the most important feature of Block V Tomahawk isn’t the weapon’s price-tag. It is the ability of the Navy to address emerging threats quickly, rather than having to develop entirely new weapons with all of the uncertainties that implies.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorent...ming-more-lethal-more-versatile/#2138e2dc71d7
The Tomahawk cruise missile, carried on 145 U.S. warships, is a striking example of this principle at work. Tomahawk first joined the fleet in 1983 and figured prominently in both Persian Gulf wars, but today’s Tomahawk is very different from the cruise missiles used in those conflicts, and tomorrow’s Tomahawks will be something else again.
Superficially, the weapon doesn’t look much different. It still resembles the “flying torpedo” first imagined by futurists shortly after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk. But internally, Tomahawk has been repeatedly transformed as new technology and operating concepts added capabilities.
These generational updates are referred to by the Naval Air Systems Command, which oversees Tomahawk acquisition, as “blocks.” The current Block IV configuration joined the fleet in 2004, adding features such as in-flight reprogramming of targets via satellite links and the ability to loiter for long periods over war zones.
But as the thousands of Block IV Tomahawks in the Navy’s inventory now begin their 15-year recertification—the weapon has a shelf life of 30 years—the Navy is using that process to once again update the weapon’s capabilities with new technologies not available in 2004.
Recertification requires that every component in the missile be inspected and tested to assure readiness for combat, so it provides an opportunity to switch out parts if new features are desired. Tomahawk’s modular design facilitates such insertions, and recertification will thus drive modernization of the weapon to a new Block V configuration.
All of the Tomahawks in the fleet will retain their land-attack capability, which enables precise destruction of high-value targets deep in defended territory with minimal collateral damage. Whether they are launched from a surface warship or a submarine, Tomahawks typically hit within ten yards of intended targets using a variety of guidance methods including GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain contour matching.
What makes Block V different is that contractor Raytheon (a contributor to my think tank) is adding an anti-ship capability and a hard-target kill capability to specific lots of the missile. The “maritime strike” variant will have a new seeker capable of precisely identifying and targeting moving warships at sea. The hard-target kill version will carry an advanced warhead capable of destroying densely-constructed enemy assets previously requiring more specialized munitions.
The need for both capabilities was dictated by emerging threats in Eurasia. For instance, the Navy increasingly finds itself facing Russian and Chinese adversaries with longer-range anti-ship munitions than those carried on U.S. warships. The maritime strike version of Tomahawk will rectify that disparity with a munition that can strike hostile, maneuvering warships over a thousand miles away.
The hard-target version will be able to take out reinforced concrete command posts and other super-strong structures that otherwise might have provided sanctuary for enemy forces. The Navy has other ways of addressing such targets—most notably with the strike fighters of carrier air wings—but by using Tomahawk the Navy will be able to destroy a diverse array of targets even when carriers are not nearby, or when they are nearby but combatant commanders do not want to risk pilots and their planes.
Block V Tomahawk thus presents itself as the most affordable option for bolstering the Navy’s arsenal of long-range precision strike munitions without having to introduce a new weapon into the fleet. The basic footprint of the missile will not change—it will still fit into vertical launchers on surface warships, torpedo tubes on submarines, and other launch systems already extant that the joint force may elect to deploy in the future. (A land-based version of Tomahawk was successfully flight-tested in August.)
The Navy has taken delivery of over 4,000 Block IV Tomahawks since 2004, about a tenth of which have been used in combat and testing. Naval Air Systems Command intends to update the arsenal to the Block V configuration by purchasing a mix of new missiles and existing missiles that have been enhanced via recertification. Some of the Block Vs will be maritime-strike variants, some will be hard-target killers, and some will be “basic” Block V Tomahawks delivering targeting flexibility and lethality similar to Block IVs.
One issue that arises in equipping the fleet for a future of great-power competition is the survivability of existing munitions in attacking well-defended targets. The Navy is contemplating purchase of a stealthy cruise missile adapted from an Air Force munition that would be exceptionally difficult for enemy defenders to counter. However, a recent internal government study found that Tomahawk is likely to remain highly viable for many years to come. The Navy does not talk much about features built into Tomahawk designed to enhance its survivability—such as its ability to perform evasive maneuvers at extremely low altitudes—but the fact that the Navy is investing in a new generation of Tomahawks speaks for itself. Survivability does not seem to be a major concern.
Block V Tomahawks are likely to cost about a million dollars each, which arguably is a bargain for a munition that can reliably take out diverse targets over a thousand miles away worth many times that amount without causing major collateral damage. The fact that new or recertified Tomahawks can be sent to the fleet without major modifications to existing launch systems is undoubtedly a plus at a time when defense spending is likely to peak and then gradually decline.
But the most important feature of Block V Tomahawk isn’t the weapon’s price-tag. It is the ability of the Navy to address emerging threats quickly, rather than having to develop entirely new weapons with all of the uncertainties that implies.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorent...ming-more-lethal-more-versatile/#2138e2dc71d7
