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USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile

 
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USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 5:59:39 AM   
Tailhook

 

Posts: 293
Joined: 1/18/2015
Status: offline 		On January 27th, 2015, the US Navy successfully used a Tomahawk Block IV TACTOM missile to strike a moving maritime target after launch from USS Kidd (DDG-100). This was notable in that the missile used midcourse guidance correction from a Maritime Surveillance aircraft. This counters the problem of the TASM, which had no capability for updated guidance and thus could not exploit it's long range effectively.

navair(dot)navy(dot)mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=5833

youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Jgv5ixxgTsQ (There's no way those pigeons survived)
^In the video, to me it seems like there was no warhead, and the flame we see is simply the ignition of fuel (still looks like a bad time if it were within a ship). Am I mistaken? I expected a bigger explosion if there was a warhead and it did detonate. Granted the point of the test was not about the warhead, so it would not surprise me if there was none.
Is it possible to use the Tomahawk Block IV like this in the game? I actually had the idea to attempt it after playing the South China Sea Clash, and multiple scenarios lamenting the lack of US standoff ASUW weapons. If it's not possible in the sim, would it be possible to add this capability?

< Message edited by Tailhook -- 2/10/2015 7:08:19 AM >
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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 7:14:58 AM   
hellfish6


Posts: 843
Joined: 6/15/2008
Status: offline 		No warhead. Training round, probably with ballast where the warhead would be. Target ships are kinda expensive.

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 7:47:22 AM   
Tailhook

 

Posts: 293
Joined: 1/18/2015
Status: offline 		Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I just wanted to confirm!

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 12:32:22 PM   
Primarchx


Posts: 3102
Joined: 1/20/2013
Status: offline 		"Synthetic Guidance" is pretty much an advanced version of command guidance. Since the TACTOM has a 2-way link I wonder if they use off-board sensors to get it into proximity and use its' on-board sensors to 'fly' it into a target or if it's purely off-board guidance?

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 3:30:01 PM   
jdkbph


Posts: 339
Joined: 2/11/2007
From: CT, USA
Status: offline 		Not sure how effective this would be. It does have long range, but it's slow (subsonic), has no defense evasion capability (that I'm aware of), no target recognition/discrimination capability (again, that I'm aware of), and requires a spotter to hit a moving target. I can see this thing being useful against land targets where terrain masking and various forms of stealthy target "designation" might come into play, but on the open sea it looks like easy pickings for any kind of modern naval defense systems.

I just hope this isn't being floated as an alternative to LRASM. We really need that... like yesterday.

JD

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 3:36:46 PM   
Tailhook

 

Posts: 293
Joined: 1/18/2015
Status: offline 		Actually JD, from everything I've seen the Block IV has "real time target recognition" which I presume is some sort of EO/IR sensor, as it's billed as being capable of striking a mobile target. It may require an operator to designate the target when it gets within visual range, but I imagine the missile can easily take it from there. I do agree though, it's not a perfect weapon but it's better than harpoon and is already on every ship with VLS.

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 3:41:57 PM   
AlmightyTallest

 

Posts: 279
Joined: 2/25/2014
Status: offline 		http://www.seapowermagazine.org/stories/20150114-tomahawk.html

quote:

Sprinkle said the recertification process will allow the Navy to upgrade the missiles with a more robust anti-jam communications suite needed to be effective in an A2AD (anti-access area denial) environment, add a multimode passive/active radio frequency sensor for terminal guidance against moving targets and the Joint Multi-Effects Warhead System. Raytheon is developing the multimode sensor with internal funding to reduce developmental risk. The Navy is looking at adding an infrared capability to the sensor, Sprinkle said.

Sprinkle noted that the TLAM, while equipped with the Global Positioning System (GPS), still retains the inertial navigation capability designed into earlier versions of the Tomahawk and can navigate accurately to a target in a GPS-denied scenario.


These Tomahawks don't look like the old ones, seems some sort of signature reduction has been applied, particularly at the added lip at the nose section, and they can sea skim into the target or do terminal maneuvers and dives into the target.



http://missilethreat.com/missiles/tomahawk-variants/

quote:

The TASM is the anti-ship variant equipped with an active radar seeker, rather than TERCOM. TASM (and other versions except the TLAM-N) carries a 454 kg warhead. Compared the TLAM-N, the range is significantly shorter at 460 km.

The TASM was a very agile missile capable of various flight patterns. It could fly high altitude (up to 450 m) or low altitude trajectories; it could fly a ‘sea-skimming’ route; or a pop-up high-angle dive in the terminal phase.

In 1994, all TASM missiles were removed from warships and later converted to Block IV versions.


No reason to get rid of the TASM's 80's capabilites in the new Block IV it would seem.

quote:

Increased range to 1,600 km.
Improved high anti-jamming GPS system.
An electro-optic sensor capable of damage assessment.


Video below showing how it can be used says the missile has Millimeter wave radar and ESM equipment, interesting that the missiles seem to coordinate a simultaneous Tot on the target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wluabEE1ls8

Things that stuck out to me in the video was the AESA (LPI?) radar seeker that can target specific parts of the ship, the missiles triangulation and communication with each other using an AT3 ESM suite and coordinate a multi access simultaneous arrival on the ship target.

It gets even more interesting after that, seems like an impressive upgrade for such an old missile.

< Message edited by AlmightyTallest -- 2/10/2015 5:28:53 PM >

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/10/2015 8:14:34 PM   
jdkbph


Posts: 339
Joined: 2/11/2007
From: CT, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Tailhook

Actually JD, from everything I've seen the Block IV has "real time target recognition" which I presume is some sort of EO/IR sensor, as it's billed as being capable of striking a mobile target. It may require an operator to designate the target when it gets within visual range, but I imagine the missile can easily take it from there. I do agree though, it's not a perfect weapon but it's better than harpoon and is already on every ship with VLS.



Target recognition or terrain recognition? I knew about the latter....

JD

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/11/2015 7:31:09 AM   
Tailhook

 

Posts: 293
Joined: 1/18/2015
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: jdkbph


Target recognition or terrain recognition? I knew about the latter....

JD

From Naval Weapons Systems official page (which I can't link to yet)

"The Block IV missile is capable of loitering over a target area in order to respond to emerging targets or, with its on-board camera, provide battle damage information to warfighting commanders."

It also mentions it can be reprogrammed against up to 15 alternate targets. Considering Block IV came out in 2004 with those capabilities, I would expect some upgrades to the targeting. It is specifically mentioned as having the ability to loiter over a target area and engage moving targets.

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/12/2015 5:59:20 PM   
Tomcat84

 

Posts: 1952
Joined: 7/10/2013
Status: offline 		More Tomahawk coolness:

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2015-02-11-US-Navy-Raytheon-demonstrate-moving-target-capability-for-Tomahawk-Block-IV

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/13/2015 5:58:22 AM   
NickD

 

Posts: 163
Joined: 2/14/2014
Status: offline 		Interesting article on this topic: https://medium.com/war-is-boring/u-s-marines-can-now-call-in-tomahawk-cruise-missiles-for-close-air-support-2a8aa4a64428

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RE: USN Uses Tomahawk Block IV as ASUW missile - 2/13/2015 5:36:35 PM   
DirtyFred


Posts: 99
Joined: 5/22/2014
Status: offline 		here is another vid from the Tomahawk Block IV fired from guided missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG-100)and guided into its target by an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet:
http://theaviationist.com/2015/02/13/tlam-guided-by-hornet/

this is a tactical shift of US Navy called ‘Distributed Lethality’ ...

quote:

Vice Admiral Thomas Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces, further elaborated on the tactical shift at the symposium, as military.com reports: “We’re going to up-gun as many existing platforms as we can to achieve more total lethality.” Speakers at the symposium noted that the Navy will overhaul ships in service with low-cost weapon and sensor upgrades including Aegis destroyers, cruisers, supply ships, and littoral combat ships. However, more details on the specifics of this reshuffle will only emerge when the president’s 2016 budget request comes out next month.


see here:
http://thediplomat.com/2015/01/the-us-navys-new-surface-warfare-strategy-distributed-lethality/

this new strategy is one of the answers to russian/chinese/indian anti-access/area denial capabilities. it also is a start of an arms and technology race.

counter cruise missile ideas:

- hacking of data link - takeover of missile and retarget

- energy based weapons on high altitude combined with anti-stealth-AWACS

- railgun/missile point defense

- lightweight cobweb wall along treat axis (saw it first in Area 88 anime)


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