Missile BGM-109 TLAM
Summary
| Category | Cruise Missile |
| Sub-type | Cruise missile |
| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics |
Technical specifications
| BGM-109 TLAM | |
|---|---|
| Warhead | High Explosive |
| Warhead Weight | 450 kg |
| Diameter | 520 mm (20.5 in) |
| Span | 2670 mm (105.1 in) |
| Length | 6250 mm (246.1 in) |
| Weight | 1542 kg (3400 lb) |
| Range | 2500 km (1553 mi) |
| Max Speed | Mach 0.74 |
Description
The BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is an American-made, long-range, subsonic cruise missile designed for land-attack warfare. Manufactured by Raytheon, the Tomahawk has been in service since the 1980s and is one of the U.S. Navy's primary long-range, precision-strike weapons. It can be launched from surface ships and submarines, giving the U.S. military a flexible and potent land-attack capability.
The Tomahawk is designed to fly at low altitudes to evade enemy radar detection, following a pre-programmed route through waypoints. The missile can cover a range of up to 1,550 miles (around 2,500 kilometers), depending on the variant, enabling it to engage targets deep within enemy territory while keeping launch platforms out of harm's way.
In terms of guidance, the Tomahawk uses a combination of GPS, an inertial navigation system, and terrain contour matching (TERCOM) to achieve high levels of accuracy. Some variants also include a digital scene-matching area correlator (DSMAC) that compares a stored image of the target to the actual target scene for terminal guidance, further increasing accuracy.
The Tomahawk is versatile in terms of payload options. Early versions could carry a nuclear warhead, though current variants focus on conventional payloads, such as a unitary high-explosive warhead or submunitions for area targets.
However, its subsonic speed makes it vulnerable to advanced air defense systems, and costs around $2M per unit. Additionally, the missile's long flight times can be a drawback in scenarios requiring rapid strikes.