Tomahawk Missile
Japan recently signed a deal with its ally, the United States, to buy 400 long-range Tomahawk missiles.
About Tomahawk Missile:
- It is a US-made long-range cruise missile used for deep-land attack warfare.
- It can be launched from a ship or submarine and deliver its warhead precisely to a target at a long range.
- It flies at low altitudes to strike fixed targets, such as communication and air-defence sites, in high-risk environments where manned aircraft may be vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles.
- Features:
- It is designed to fly at subsonic speed while maintaining a low altitude, making it difficult to detect on radar.
- It uses tailored guidance systems to manoeuvre at such low elevations.
- Tomahawks are launched vertically from ships, but they can be launched horizontally from torpedo tubes on attack submarines or from external launchers attached to a submarine’s hull.
- Propulsion: It is powered by a solid propellant during its launch phase. Thereafter, it is powered by a turbofan engine that does not emit much heat, which makes infrared detection difficult.
- It can carry either conventional or nuclear payloads.