After the Second World War, a rather difficult situation developed in the Western fleets. On the one hand, there were no problems with their number. On the other hand, there were difficulties with their qualitative composition. At that time, our country already had ships with powerful missile weapons, while the Western powers did not have this close. The basis of their fleets was ships armed with old artillery systems and torpedoes.
At that time, all this looked like a terrible anachronism. The only exceptions were the Long Beach cruiser (the prototype of our TAKR) and the Enterprise Enterprise nuclear carrier. That is why in the late 60s, feverish work began on the creation of guided cruise missiles, which were able to sharply increase the combat effectiveness of the fleets. So the Tomahawk cruise missile was born.
First experiences
Of course, work in this direction was carried out before that period, so the first samples appeared quickly enough, being based on relatively old developments. The very first option was a 55-inch rocket designed for use with launchers of the Polaris type, which by then had already been planned to be removed from service. She was supposed to be able to fly 3,000 miles. The use of obsolete launchers made it possible to dispense with "little blood" in the conversion of old ships.
The second option was a smaller 21-inch caliber rocket designed to launch submarines from torpedo tubes. It was assumed that in this case the flight range would be about 1,500 miles. Simply put, the Tomahawk cruise missile (USA) would become the trump card that would allow blackmailing the Soviet fleet. Did the Americans succeed in achieving their goal? Let's find out.
Contest winners
In 1972 (phenomenal speed, by the way), the final version of the launcher for new cruise missiles was already selected. At the same time, the provision on exclusively their sea basing was finally approved. In January, the state commission already selected the two most promising candidates to participate in full-scale trials. The first applicant was the products of the well-known company General Dynamics.
It was a UBGM-109A model. The second model was released by the little-known (and poorly lobbyed) LTV company: the UBGM-110A rocket. In 1976, they began to test them, launching running models from the side of the submarine. In general, none of the top officials did not hide that the winners had already recognized the 109A model in absentia.
New recommendations
In early March, the State Commission decided that it was the American Tomahawk cruise missile that would become the main caliber of all US surface ships. Four years later, the first launch of the prototype from the American destroyer. In June of the same year, successful flight tests of the boat version of the rocket took place. This was a great event in the history of the entire history of the fleet, as it was the first launch from the side of the submarine. Over the next three years, new weapons were intensively studied and tested, and about a hundred launches were made.
In 1983, Pentagon officials announced that the new Tomahawk cruise missile was fully tested and ready for mass production. Around the same time, domestic developments in similar areas were in full swing. We think that you will be curious to learn about the comparative characteristics of domestic equipment and weapons of a possible enemy during the Cold War. So, Tomahawk and Caliber cruise missiles, comparison.
Comparison with Caliber
- The length of the hull without a launch accelerator (Tomahawk / Caliber) is 5.56 / 7.2 m.
- Length with starting amplifier - 6.25 / 8.1 m.
- Wingspan - 2.67 / 3.3 m.
- The mass of a non-nuclear warhead is 450 kg (US / RF).
- The power of the nuclear version is 150 / 100-200 kT.
- The flight speed of the Tomahawk cruise missile is 0.7 M.
- The "Caliber" speed is 0.7 M.
But in terms of flight range an unambiguous comparison cannot be made. The fact is that both the new and the old rocket modifications are in service with the American army . The old ones are equipped only with a nuclear warhead and can fly up to 2.6 thousand km. The new ones carry a non-nuclear warhead, the range of the Tomahawk cruise missile is up to 1.6 thousand km. Domestic "Gauges" can carry both types of fillings, the flight range is 2.5 / 1.5 thousand km, respectively. In general, according to this indicator, the characteristics of weapons are practically no different.
This is what the Tomahawk and Caliber cruise missiles are characterized by. A comparison of them shows that the capabilities of both types of weapons are approximately identical. This is especially true for speed. The Americans have always noted that this figure is higher for their missiles. But the latest upgrades to Caliber fly no slower.
Basic specifications
A new model of weapons made by the airplane monoplane. The body is cylindrical, the cowl is revitalized. The wing can be folded and recessed into a special compartment located in the central part of the rocket, a cruciform stabilizer is located behind. For the manufacture of the body are various options for aluminum alloys, epoxies and carbon fiber. All of them have extremely low aerodynamic drag, since the speed of the Tomahawk cruise missile is very high. Any "roughness" with such characteristics is dangerous, since the body can simply fall apart on the go.
To minimize the visibility of the device for locators, a special coating is applied to the entire surface of the case. In general, in this regard, the Tomahawk cruise missile (a photo of which you will see in the article) is noticeably better than competitors. Although experts agree that the prevailing role in ensuring invisibility for locators belongs to the flight scheme, in which the rocket flies, making maximum use of the terrain features, and at a minimum height.
Warhead Characteristics
The main highlight of the rocket is the W-80 warhead. Its weight is 123 kilograms, length - one meter, diameter 30 cm. Maximum blasting power - 200 kT. The explosion occurs after direct contact of the fuse with the target. When using nuclear weapons, the diameter of destruction in a densely populated area can reach three kilometers.
One of the most important features that distinguishes the Tomahawk cruise missile is its very high pointing accuracy, due to which this ammunition is capable of hitting small and maneuvering targets. The probability of this is from 0.85 to 1.0 (depending on basing and place of launch). Simply put, the accuracy of the Tomahawk cruise missile is very high. A non-nuclear warhead has some armor-piercing action and can include up to 166 small-caliber bombs. The weight of each charge is 1.5 kilograms, all of them are in 24 bundles.
Target control and guidance systems
High accuracy of targeting is ensured by the combined operation of several telemetry systems at once:
- The simplest of them is inertial.
- The TERCOM system is responsible for following the contours of the terrain.
- The DSMAC Optoelectronic Attachment Service enables you to bring your flying missile directly to your target with exceptional accuracy.
Control circuit characteristics
The simplest system is inertial. The mass of this equipment is 11 kilograms; it works only at the initial and middle stages of flight. It consists of: an on-board computer, an inertial platform and a rather simple altimeter, which is based on a reliable barometer. Three gyroscopes determine the deviation of the rocket hull from a given course and three accelerometers, with the help of which the on-board electronics determine with high accuracy the acceleration of these accelerations. This system alone allows you to adjust the course by about 800 meters for every hour of flight.
Much more reliable and accurate is the DSMAC, the most advanced version of which are the Tomahawk BGM 109 A cruise missiles. It should be noted that for this equipment to work, a digitized survey of the area over which Tomahawk will fly must first be loaded into the equipment’s memory. This allows you to set the binding not only to the coordinates, but also to the terrain. A similar scheme, by the way, is used not only by the American Tomahawk cruise missile, but also by the domestic Granite.
Information on launch methods and settings
On ships, for the storage and launch of this type of weapon, both standard torpedo tubes and special vertical launch mines (as for submarines) can be used. If we talk about surface ships, then container launchers are mounted on them. It should be noted that the Tomahawk ship cruise missile, the characteristics of which we are considering, is stored in a special steel capsule, being “preserved” in a layer of nitrogen under high pressure.
Storage under such conditions not only allows us to guarantee the normal operation of the device for 30 months at once, but also to place it in a conventional torpedo shaft without any modifications to the design of the latter.
Features of trigger mechanisms
There are four standard torpedo tubes on American submarines. They are located two on each side. The location angle is 10-12 degrees, which makes it possible to launch a torpedo salvo from maximum depth. This circumstance can significantly reduce the unmasking factors. The pipe of each apparatus consists of three sections. As in domestic torpedo mines, American missiles are located on supporting rollers and guides. Shooting is initiated depending on the opening or closing of the lid of the device, which makes it impossible to "shot in the leg" when a torpedo explodes in the submarine itself.
On the back cover of the torpedo tube there is a viewing window, with which you can monitor the filling of its cavity and the state of the mechanisms, pressure gauge. The findings from the ship's electronics, which controls the processes of opening the covers of the device, their closing and the direct start-up process, are attached there. The Tomahawk cruise missile (you will read its characteristics in the article) is fired from the mine due to the operation of hydraulic drives. One hydraulic cylinder is installed for every two devices on each side, it works as follows:
- First, a certain volume of compressed air is supplied to the system, which acts simultaneously on the hydraulic cylinder rod.
- Due to this, he begins to supply water to the cavity of the torpedo tubes.
- Since they are filled quickly with water, starting from the rear section, an excess pressure is created in the cavity, sufficient to push the rocket or torpedo out.
- The whole structure is made in such a way that only one device can be connected to the injection tank at the same time (that is, two from both sides). This prevents the uneven filling of the cavities of the torpedo mines.
As we have already said, in the case of surface ships, vertically located launch containers are used. In their case, there is a knock-out powder charge, which allows to slightly increase the flight range of the Tomahawk cruise missile due to saving the resource of its marching engine.
Firing process control
For carrying out all the preparatory stages and, in fact, launching, not only the specialists standing at the combat posts are responsible, but also the firing control system (aka SUS). Its components are placed both in the torpedo compartment itself and on the command bridge. Of course, you can only issue a launch order from a central point. Duplicate devices showing the characteristics of the rocket and its readiness for launch in real time are also displayed there.
One important feature of American naval units should be noted. They use a sophisticated automated adjustment and integration system. Simply put, several submarines and surface ships armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the technical characteristics of which are contained in the article, can act as a single “organism” and launch missiles at the same target almost simultaneously. Given the high probability of being hit, even a ship or ground enemy grouping with a powerful and layered air defense system will almost certainly be destroyed.
Cruise missile launch
After receipt of the launch order, preflight preparation begins, which should take no more than 20 minutes. At the same moment, the pressure in the torpedo tube is compared with that at the depth of immersion, so that the launch of the rocket does not interfere.
All data necessary for firing is entered. When a signal arrives, hydraulics pushes the rocket out of the shaft. It always comes to the surface at an angle of about 50 degrees, which is achieved as a result of the stabilization systems. Soon after this, the squibs drop their fairings, wings and stabilizers open, and the main engine is switched on.
During this time, the rocket manages to fly to a height of approximately 600 m. In the main section of the trajectory, the flight altitude does not exceed 60 meters, and the speed reaches 885 km / h. First, guidance and exchange rate adjustment is carried out by the inertial system.
Modernization work
Currently, Americans are working to increase the flight range immediately to three to four thousand kilometers. It is planned to achieve such indicators through the use of new engines, fuel, as well as reducing the mass of the rocket itself. Research is already underway in the field of creating new materials based on carbon fiber reinforced plastics, which will be very durable and lightweight, but at the same time cheap enough so that they can be put into mass production.
Secondly, it is planned to significantly improve the accuracy of targeting. This is supposed to be achieved by introducing new modules into the rocket design responsible for accurate satellite positioning.
Thirdly, the Americans would not mind increasing the launch depth from 60 meters to (at least) 90-120 meters. If they succeed, the launch of the Tomahawk will become even more difficult to detect. I must say that domestic designers are currently working on almost the same tasks, but in relation to our "Granite". In addition, work is underway to reduce the radar visibility of the rocket and counter air defense systems.
For this purpose, it is planned to use more powerful computer systems for close interaction with their interference suppression devices. If all this works in a complex, and the speed is also increased, then the Tomahawks will be able to effectively pass through many layered air defense systems.
A unique opportunity of modern American-made CRs is the possibility of using them as UAVs: a rocket can fly around its intended target for at least 3.5 hours, and at this time it transfers all the data received to the control center.
Combat use
For the first time, new missiles were widely used during the notorious Operation Desert Storm, which was launched in 1991 and was directed against the Iraqi authorities. Americans launched 288 Tomahawks from submarines and surface flotilla ships. It is believed that at least 85% of them have achieved established goals. During the numerous military conflicts in which the United States participated from 1991 to the present, they spent at least 2,000 cruise missiles of various modifications. However, exclusively non-nuclear munitions were used.