New cruise missiles will be much more affordable, which means we can stockpile and use lots more of them when needed. Good news.
The Navy is making progress in developing a new low-cost cruise missile with the nondescript name of the Affordable Weapon. Built completely with off-the-shelf technology, ... the Affordable Weapon costs about $50,000 apiece, compared with the $1.7 million cost of each of the Navy's current Tomahawk missiles. The new missile has a range of up to 600 miles and can deliver a 200-pound warhead with pinpoint accuracy. But one of the most unique features of the Affordable Weapon, ...is its ability to linger over an area for several hours while intelligence agents and military forces locate targets and then direct the missile to its destination.
Another new cruise missile under development is the successor to the Tomahawk known as the Tactical Tomahawk, which at about $600,000 is less expensive than the older Tomahawk. The newest-generation Tactical Tomahawk was test-launched on Sunday from the attack submarine USS Tucson off the coast of Southern California. It was the first live test-firing of the new cruise missile from a submarine. The test demonstrated that the missile's course could be changed in midflight through a new submarine-based combat-control system. The missile could be put on ships and submarines by next year.
Posted by Alan at July 26, 2003 11:34 AM