The Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile (TLAM), designated as BGM-109, is a subsonic, long-range cruise missile designed by the United States to deliver precision strikes against high-value and strategic targets. It was developed during the Cold War to provide a reliable deep-strike capability, enabling naval platforms to target land-based installations from significant distances. Manufactured by Raytheon Technologies, the Tomahawk entered service in 1983 and has since become one of the most widely used and effective cruise missiles in the world. Its adaptability, accuracy, and survivability make it a cornerstone of modern naval warfare.
Country users : United States, United Kingsom, Australia
Technical Data
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Design
The Tomahawk is a compact, aerodynamically optimized cruise missile designed to ensure stability, maneuverability, and stealth. It features a cylindrical body constructed from lightweight composite materials that provide strength while reducing weight. The missile's wings and tail fins are stowed during launch and deployed once airborne, ensuring efficient storage in Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) and torpedo tubes. The missile’s low radar cross-section and terrain-following flight profile enable it to evade enemy detection. Its length, approximately 6.25 meters with a booster, makes it adaptable for use on multiple platforms, while its diameter of 0.52 meters allows for efficient storage and handling. Once deployed, the missile’s low-altitude flight capability and advanced navigation systems ensure that it remains highly effective against heavily defended targets.
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Warhead
The Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile is designed for precision strikes against high-value targets deep within enemy territory, making it a critical tool in modern naval warfare. Its long-range capability allows naval platforms to remain safely beyond the reach of enemy defenses while delivering precise and devastating blows to critical infrastructure. The missile is primarily employed to neutralize targets such as command-and-control centers, radar installations, airfields, and hardened facilities. This ability to conduct deep-penetration missions with minimal collateral damage makes it especially effective in preemptive strikes and surgical operations aimed at disrupting enemy military capabilities. The warhead of the Tomahawk is modular, allowing the missile to adapt to diverse mission requirements. For hardened or strategic targets, the unitary high-explosive warhead delivers a focused, powerful blast, ensuring the destruction of bunkers, reinforced structures, and critical installations. For operations requiring suppression of broader target areas, a submunitions warhead can be used to disperse bomblets over a wide zone, effectively neutralizing troop concentrations or vehicle formations. Additionally, specialized penetrator warheads are available for deeply buried or heavily fortified targets, such as underground command bunkers.
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Propulsion
The propulsion system of the Tomahawk cruise missile consists of a two-stage design, combining a solid-fuel booster for launch with a Williams F107-WR-402 turbofan engine for sustained flight. The booster provides the initial thrust required to propel the missile from its launch platform, after which it is jettisoned, allowing the turbofan engine to take over. This system ensures reliable operation across a variety of environments and mission profiles. The missile’s subsonic cruising speed of approximately 880 km/h (Mach 0.75) allows for fuel efficiency and sustained flight over long distances. Depending on the variant, the Tomahawk can achieve ranges of up to 1,600 kilometers in earlier versions, while the latest Block V variant extends the range to over 1,800 kilometers. This range provides the missile with the ability to strike targets far inland, while its low-altitude flight profile minimizes the likelihood of interception.
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Guidance Systems
The guidance system of the Tomahawk cruise missile integrates multiple technologies to ensure pinpoint accuracy and survivability. At its core is an Inertial Navigation System (INS) supported by GPS for mid-course guidance, allowing the missile to navigate over long distances with minimal deviation. For enhanced accuracy, the missile employs Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM), which uses preloaded digital maps of the terrain to adjust its flight path in real time, allowing it to avoid detection by enemy radar. In the terminal phase, the Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) system compares real-time imagery from the missile’s onboard sensors with stored reference images to achieve precision strikes on the target. The most advanced variants, such as the Block IV and Block V, also feature a two-way data link, enabling in-flight retargeting and updates. This feature enhances the missile’s flexibility, allowing operators to adapt to dynamic battlefield conditions.
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Combat Use
The Tomahawk cruise missile has been used extensively in combat since its introduction. It played a pivotal role in the Gulf War, where it was employed to disable Iraqi air defenses and infrastructure, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where it was used to target command-and-control facilities. In recent years, Tomahawks have been used to strike chemical weapons facilities in Syria and to neutralize high-value targets in anti-terrorism operations. Its ability to strike with precision from long distances allows naval forces to operate beyond the reach of enemy defenses. The missile’s adaptability and proven reliability make it a critical component of U.S. and allied military capabilities.
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