What is Typhon Weapons System?

About Typhon Weapons System:

• Typhon, also known as the Strategic Mid-Range Fires (SMRF) System, is an integrated weapons system being developed by the United States Navy. 
• It is capable of firing the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6), a ballistic missile defense munition that can also target ships at sea at a range of 370 kilometers (230 miles).
• It can also fire the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, a maneuverable cruise missile.
• A full Typhon Weapon System battery comprises four launchers, a command post, and reload and support vehicles, all on trailers.
• Offboard sources are used to supply the targeting information.
• Typhon launchers are derived from the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) in use on various U.S. Navy and foreign warships. This launcher can already fire a wide array of containerized missiles, and other types could be integrated into it in the future.

Key Facts about Tomahawk Missile:

• It is a US-made long-range cruise missile used for deep-land attack warfare.
• It can be launched from a ship or submarine and deliver its warhead precisely to a target at a long range.
• It flies at low altitudes to strike fixed targets, such as communication and air-defense sites, in high-risk environments where manned aircraft may be vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles.
• Features:
  • It is designed to fly at subsonic speed while maintaining a low altitude, making it difficult to detect on radar.
  • It uses tailored guidance systems to manoeuvre at such low elevations.
  • The 6-meter (18.4-foot) long missile has a range of up to 2,400 km (1,500 miles).
  • Propulsion: 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.
  • It uses satellite-assisted navigation and TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching) radar to guide it to a target.
  • It is capable of twisting and turning like a radar-evading fighter plane, skimming the landscape at an altitude of only 30–90 metres (100–300 feet).
  • It can carry either conventional or nuclear payloads.

Q1: What are cruise missiles?

Cruise missiles are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane. They can be launched from ground, air, or sea platforms. Cruise missiles remain within the atmosphere for the duration of their flight and can fly as low as a few meters off the ground. Flying low to the surface of the earth expends more fuel but makes a cruise missile very difficult to detect.

Source: US To Withdraw “Banned” Typhon Missile System From Philippines That Gave Sleepless Nights To China