Tomahawk Cruise Missile
DESCRIPTION: These ship-launched missiles can carry a 1,000-pound warhead some 1,000 miles. There are more than 250 cruise missiles currently on ships in the Persian Gulf.
The unmanned cruise missile is the weapon of choice for highly defended fixed targets. During the Persian Gulf War, some 300 were fired at Iraq.
The missiles travel at 550 mph. Older versions have a range of 700 miles, carry a steel-encased warhead and cost about $1 million each. Newer versions have a range of 1000 miles, carry a titanium-encased warhead with a delayed fuse for penetration of reinforced targets and cost $750,000 each.
ANYTHING NEW? The newest version of the Tomahawk (the block 3) is guided by global positioning satellites (GPS). Older versions used maps stored in the missile's computer memory.
The GPS-guided missiles do not need recognizable terrain features to navigate, they can be targeted much faster, and they are more accurate.
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