By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
(Washington D.C.) Moving ships at sea can be difficult to target, particularly if surface weapons are the only available weapons because submarines and fighter jets are not in range to attack. This is a predicament the Navy has been working on for years through development of what it calls the “Tactical Tomahawk,” a modified variant of the cruise missile designed to hit moving ships at sea. As a combat-tested cruise missile able to travel as far as 900 nautical miles, the ship and submarine-launched Tomahawk has been modernized many times over the course of recent decades.
Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is often the first weapon to fire in war as it is both extremely precise and long-range. The current Block IV Tomahawk has a two-way data link to adjust to new target detail in flight and an almost drone-like ability to “loiter” above targets and send back specifics. The weapon has proven critical in attacking command and control targets, infrastructure and fixed locations such as enemy command centers, equipment and force concentrations. However, the Tomahawk has in recent years primarily been used against “fixed” targets, however the latest Block V Tactical Tomahawk integrates a new generation of technical advances enabling the weapon to hit moving ships at sea while flying parallel to the ocean surface beneath the radar aperture of what enemies can typically detect.
Block V Tactical Tomahawk
By traveling at lower altitudes parallel to the surface of the ocean, Tomahawk cruise missiles are engineered to elude enemy ship radar systems. The Block V Tactical Tomahawk is the most modern, cutting edge variant which introduces course correcting guidance technology enabling the weapon to adjust its trajectory quickly to strike moving targets.
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The Tactical Tomahawk has been in development for many years as a key strategic Navy effort to expand the attack envelope for ship commanders. Therefore, a maneuvering Tomahawk weapon such as Block V could clearly be described as a massive breakthrough as it introduces new ways for the Navy to attack moving enemy ships at long-ranges with precision targeting.
Certainly fighter jets, laser spotting, platforms capable of firing air-launched precision weapons such as air-to-surface missiles and emerging systems such as Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) introduce possibilities for ship commanders hoping to attack moving enemy targets at sea.
A Tactical Tomahawk, however, brings several unprecedented advantages. As a weapon built to fly at lower altitudes parallel to the surface of the ocean or ground to elude Soviet air defenses, Tomahawks can at times be difficult to defend against. A ship-fired Tomahawk able to hit moving ships from the surface would of course eliminate the risks associated with attacking from the air as well as enable previously unprecedented stand-off ranges.
Given these variables, it appears the Tactical Tomahawk aligns with the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) strategy as it enables networked, precision attacks from disaggregated formations less vulnerable to enemy fire. This is the concept of DMO, as the intent is to securely network ships, drones, aircraft and other platforms across great distances to increase an operational envelope, improve survivability by decreasing exposure to incoming fire and optimize technological advances afforded by new precision-guidance, manned-unmanned teaming and networking technologies.
Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19 FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
