Transcript Document
Tomahawk®
Cruise Missiles
Michael Beattie
Overview
Basically a small pilot less airplane
Goal is to deliver a 1000 pound high explosive
bomb to a precise location
Can be launched from subs, destroyers and
aircraft
Dimensions
20 feet long
21 inches in diameter
Include 550 pound solid rocket booster
Weigh 3,200 pounds
Dimensions
Engine weighs 145 pounds
Produces 600 pounds of thrust burning RJ4
fuel
Cruising speed of 550 mph
Dimensions
Dimensions
Guidance
IGS – Inertial Guidance System
Tercom – Terrain Contour Matching
GPS – Global positioning system
DSMAC – Digital Scene Matching Area
Correlation
Guidance
IGS uses sensors and gyroscopes to measure
acceleration and changes in direction
Tercom uses onboard 3-D database of terrain
missile will be flying over
Guidance
GPS uses military’s network of GPS satellites
and an onboard receiver to detect missile’s
position
DSMAC uses a camera and an image
correlator to find the target
Performance
Desert Storm was the first combat test
Low observability made possible direct strikes
at the heart of the Iraqi air defense system at
the very outset of the war