Tomahawk Missile

Tomahawk Missile Latest News

The United States unleashed an array of weaponry against Iranian targets recently, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters, and for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modeled after Iranian designs.

About Tomahawk Missile

• It is an American-made long-range subsonic cruise missile used for deep land attack warfare.
• It is launched from ships or submarines through a Vertical Launch System.
• The Tomahawk was first conceptualised in the early 1970s as a Cold War-era weapon.
• Developed by General Dynamics and later Raytheon, it entered service in 1983.
• Tomahawks were first deployed in combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

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Tomahawk Missile Features

• It measures 18.3 feet in length and weighs about 3,200 pounds (4,400 with booster). 
• It can carry a 1,000-pound conventional warhead or cluster munitions.
• It is powered by a solid propellant during its launch phase. Thereafter, it is powered by a turbofan engine that does not emit much heat, which makes infrared detection difficult.
• They cruise at subsonic speeds of 880 kmph and fly as low as 30-50 metres to avoid radar detection.
• Tomahawks are guided by advanced GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain contour mapping. 
• This makes them highly accurate-with a margin of error of just 10 meters. 
• They are built to follow a non-linear path, reducing the chance of interception.
• It has a range of up to approximately 2,400 km.
• Each Tomahawk missile reportedly costs around $2 million.

Source: REUT