BGM-109 Tomahawk, US Surface to Surface Missile

The BGM-109 Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a submerged submarine. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures and acquisitions, is now made by Raytheon. Some Tomahawks were also manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security).

The Tomahawk missile family consists of a number of subsonic, jet engine-powered missiles for attacking a variety of surface targets. Although a number of launch platforms have been deployed or envisaged, only naval (both surface ship and submarine) launched variants are currently in service. Tomahawk has a modular design, allowing a wide variety of warhead, guidance and range capabilities.

BGM-109 Tomahawk
Type	Long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1983-present
Production history
Manufacturer	General Dynamics (initially) Raytheon/McDonnell Douglas
Unit cost	$US 569,000
Specifications
Weight	1,440 kilograms (3,200 lb)
Length	Without booster: 5.56 m With booster: 6.25 m
Diameter	0.52 m
Warhead	Conventional: 1,000 lb (450 kg) Bullpup, or submunitions dispenser with BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb, or a 200kt (840 Tj) W80 nuclear device (inactivated in accordance with SALT)
Detonation mechanism	FMU-148 since TLAM Block III, others for special applications
Engine	Williams International F107-WR-402 turbofan using TH-dimer fuel and a solid-fuel booster
Wingspan	2.67 m
Operational range	2,500km (1550 mi)
Speed	Subsonic - about 880 km/h (550 mph )
Guidance system	GPS, TERCOM, DSMAC
Launch platform	Vertical Launch System (VLS) and horizontal submarine torpedo tubes (known as TTL (torpedo tube launch))

BGM-109 Tomahawk Variants

There have been several variants of the BGM-109 Tomahawk employing various types of warheads.

• AGM-109H/L Medium Range Air to Surface Missile (MRASM) - a shorter range, turbojet powered ASM, never entered service
• BGM-109A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile - Nuclear (TLAM-N) with a W80 nuclear warhead
• BGM-109C Tomahawk Land Attack Missile - Conventional (TLAM-C) with a unitary warhead
• BGM-109D Tomahawk Land Attack Missile - Dispenser (TLAM-D) with submunitions
• BGM-109G Gryphon Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM)]] - withdrawn from service
• RGM/UGM-109B Tomahawk Anti Ship Missile (TASM) - radar guided anti-shipping variant
• RGM/UGM-109E Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM Block IV) - improved version of the TLAM-C

Ground Launch Cruise Missiles (GLCM) and their truck-like launch vehicles were destroyed to comply with the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Many of the anti-ship versions were converted into TLAMs at the end of the Cold War. The Block III TLAMs that entered service in 1993 can fly farther and use Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to strike more precisely. Block IV TLAMs have a better Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC) system as well as improved turbofan engines. The WR-402 engine provided the new BLK III with a throttle control, allowing in-flight speed changes. This engine also provided better fuel economy. The Block IV Phase II TLAMs have better deep-strike capabilities and are equipped with a real-time targeting system for striking moving targets.

Enroute, some missiles may also execute a Precision Strike Tomahawk Mission (PST) transmitting its status back to a ground station via satellite communication.