BGM-109 Tomahawk

The BGM-109 Tomahawk is a medium-range cruise missile in the arsenal of the US Navy. It was conceived to be launched from submarines and surface vessels to attack targets on land. It was developed by the Convair Division of General Dynamics between 1974 and 1983, entering service in 1983. The US Air Force air-to-surface version of this land attack missile is the AGM-109, which has a shorter range than the submarine-launched variant. Today, it is produced by Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

The BGM-109 Tomahawk was first used in anger in the 1991 Gulf War, having been launched from submarines and cruisers sailing in the Persian Gulf. It was used to attack and destroy Iraqi command post bunkers, communications centers, and other targets, such as concentration of enemy tanks. It would be used again during the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, which began at the end of 2001 and in 2002 respectively. It was also used during the Syrian Civil War.

Technical Characteristics

The BGM-109 Tomahawk has a cylindrical and torpedo-shaped body, which tapers at tail. Made of aluminum alloy, it has a spherical nose, which contains the guidance system set. It is fitted with two narrow chord wings, which are set approximately midway between nose and tail. These wings are folded back inside body when the missile is in its launch capsule, extending forward for cruising flight in the atmosphere. It has also cruciform folding tail and a small ventral air intake for the turbofan engine.

The Tomahawk is equipped with inertial guidance, with terrain comparison (map-matching), system, which was especially developed by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company for the land-attack version. The BGM-109 is first put in its capsule before it is loaded into the submarine torpedo tube for firing. Next the tube is flooded and pressurized, but the missile is kept dry by the capsule.

Specifications

Type: medium-range cruise missile

Length: 6.25 m (20 feet, 6 inches)

Diameter: 0.52 m (20.4 inches)

Weight: 1,600 kg (3,500 pounds)

Warhead: High Explosive, or submunition dispenser, nuclear.

Powerplant: turbofan engine, with solid-fuel rocket booster.

Maximum Speed: 890 km/h (550 mph)

Range: 1,700 km (1,000 miles)

Guidance System: GPS, active radar homing

Below, the Tomahawk in flight in 1983.

The BGM-109 emerging from the waters in the prototype stage.

The Tomahawk missile being launched from an underwater platform before being tested with a submarine (video).