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| Wary of To Russia, Britain Arms Nuclear Submarines with Tomahawk Missiles |
London - A nuclear-powered submarine belonging to the British Royal Navy is equipped with deadly Tomahawk cruise missiles. This British Astute class submarine uses the most modern Tomahawk missiles capable of reaching enemy targets as far as 1,609 kilometers.
The most modern Tomahawk Land Attack Block V has a significantly more range than previous versions. The addition of the Tomahawk Land Attack Block V cruise missile to the UK's Astute-class submarines will ensure proper strike power.
Quoted from BulgarianMilitary.com, the British Ministry of Defense explained the Tomahawk Land Attack Block V will deal with future naval threats. The older version of the Tomahawk cruise missile, the Block IV, can reprogram its weapons systems in flight using two-way satellite communications.
The same features are retained in the latest version to be purchased in the UK. The Block V Tomahawk has another capability that sets it apart from most other types of missiles in this class, namely its ability to roam the target area. In addition, the missile which has a wingspan of 2.67 meters can judge the damage inflicted in battle.
The Tomahawk is a cruise missile that has been modified to be launched from sea or land, whether from a warship, submarine, or surface-to-surface missile system. The Block V Tactical Tomahawk differs from its predecessors primarily in the increased range of more than 1,666 km. This distance is equivalent to Serang to Surabaya round trip.
Upon launch, the Tomahawk rocket launches into enemy targets using a Williams International F107-WR-402 turbofan engine, with TH-dimer fuel and solid-fuel rocket boosters. The Tomahawk missile can fly at an altitude of 30-50 meters and develop a subsonic speed of Mach 0.74, which is about 913.6 km/h.
The missile guidance system includes integration of several major systems: GPS, INS, TERCOM, DSMAC, and active homing radar [RGM/UGM-109B]. Tomahwak uses a conventional warhead, i.e. 450 kg high explosive or submunition dispenser with BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb or PBXN. The PBXN-9 is a polymer-bonded PBX or warhead, also called a PBX or plastic-bonded explosive.
This type of explosive uses a very small amount of synthetic polymer and is part of the explosive powder in the charge matrix. These explosives have been in development since the early 1950s, but only in the 1960s and 1970s found application in the warheads of various projectiles.
A quick glance shows that PBXs are widely used in various warheads, some high-speed missiles, and projectiles, such as the nuclear W62, W70, W68, W79, W82, and many others. The PBX is found in Mk-48 torpedoes, as well as in the BGM-109 Tomahawk jet-powered supersonic cruise missile and the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range missile.
In recent years, PBX warheads have been widely applied in the development of naval artillery missiles. In the UK, Department of Defense officials have expressed satisfaction with the decision to acquire these modernized US-made missiles.
Jeremy Quinn, Britain's defense secretary, said the Royal Navy's submarines would have one of the deadliest and most accurate weapons. Meanwhile Rear Admiral Simon Asquith thinks submarines will have strategic and operational advantages. Meanwhile, Ed Cutts, an official with the UK Department of Defense, praised the missile for being proven in a decisive battle.