U.S. Navy requests 4,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles in budget

[mike2000 is back]

U.S. Navy requests 4,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles in budget

By Ryan Maass | Feb. 4, 2016 at 2:11 PM

1 Comments

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to upgrade the Tomahawk cruise missile from a land attack to anti-ship version, allowing it to be used against moving targets. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Sunderman


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WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter revealed the U.S. Navy made a $2 billion budget request to buy 4,000 Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles for fiscal 2017.

The Navy's budget request is part of the Future Years Defense Program, which aims to expand the missile's capability and service life, after orders for the missile dwindled in recent years. Carter detailed the budget request during his recent tour at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif.

"We are making sure that we're making the investments we need to do in modernization," Carter said.

Carter's comments come after the Defense Secretary discussed President Obama's $582.7 fiscal 2017 budget request for the Pentagon on Tuesday, which initially set aside $1.8 billion for munitions.

The Pentagon's plans for the Tomahawk cruise missile include enhancing its capabilities to allow it to be used against moving targets. Raytheon originally developed the missile as a land-attack missile launched from naval platforms. Carter says an anti-ship version of the Tomahawk will make it a more lethal weapon.

Raytheon has been testing a new seeker for the Tomahawk for more than a year.

"The point is these are large investments in the strategic future at the high end, aimed at making sure that our systems have the greatest capability, the greatest lethality in this case, of anybody else," Carter added.

Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are capable of carrying either a nuclear or conventional payload, are designed to fly at low altitudes at subsonic speeds. They were first used in combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.


U.S. Navy requests 4,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles in budget - UPI.com

 

[kmc_chacko]

4000 Tomahawks

What are they upto

 

[Penguin]

4000 Tomahawks

What are they upto

Current inventory is 4000. What they are buying is 'new versions' i.e. upgrades.

Tomahawk (missile) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[mike2000 is back]

4000 Tomahawks

What are they upto

That's what it means to be the world's policeman ans sole superpower.
In fact they need more than 4000 judging by the U.S navy global deployments and commitments.

 

[F-22Raptor]

That's what it means to be the world's policeman ans sole superpower.
In fact they need more than 4000 judging by the U.S navy global deployments and commitments.

Well, you have to remember that the US Air Force has its own variety of air launched cruise missiles. Their inventory looks roughly like this:

AGM-86- 450

SLAAM-ER- 750

By 2017- JAASM- 1,500
JAASM-ER- 1,000

They want a total buy of 2,400 JAASMs and 3,000 JAASM-ERs.

 

[jetray]

In fact they need more than 4000 judging by the U.S navy global deployments and commitments.

Agreed, given the number of ships US navy has, 4000 seems to be reasonable number.

 

[kmc_chacko]

Agreed, given the number of ships US navy has, 4000 seems to be reasonable number.

What is the life of Tomahawks ?

Isn't they are "request to buy 4,000 Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles for fiscal 2017" ?

 

[Penguin]

Well, you have to remember that the US Air Force has its own variety of air launched cruise missiles. Their inventory looks roughly like this:

AGM-86- 450

SLAAM-ER- 750

By 2017- JAASM- 1,500
JAASM-ER- 1,000

They want a total buy of 2,400 JAASMs and 3,000 JAASM-ERs.

Of course, these are not called 'Tomahawk'...

 

[Imran Khan]

4000 Tomahawks

What are they upto

sometime they used hundreds of missiles in one night sir

 

[C130]

the next gen nuclear cruise missile submarine should carry 168 Tomahawks, at least 40 of the Anti-Ship variant and the rest the advance land tank variant. I would also be in favor of putting a nuclear warhead back on to the Tomahawk as well since China is becoming more aggressive in the SCS.

8 of these next gen subs would equal 1334 Tomahawks '

U.S Navy should buy at least 10,000 you can never have enough

 

[sparexenith]

I thought they would need more since they have used a lot of these recently.