US Air Force Opens Competition to Develop Low-Cost Cruise Missiles

Table Of Content

• China creates new Information Support Force, scraps Strategic Support Force in ‘major’ shakeup
• Efficiency in modern warfare
• Netherlands, Lithuania to Practice Patriot Air Defense Systems in Eastern Flank Exercise
• Ballistic missiles are broadly categorized into four groups based on their range:
• Examples of Cruise Missile Launch Costs

Deployment overseas began in 1954, first to West Germany and later to the Republic of China and South Korea. Air Force deployed Matador units in West Germany, whose missiles were capable of striking targets in the Warsaw Pact, from their fixed day-to-day sites to unannounced dispersed launch locations. This alert was in response to the crisis posed by the Soviet attack on Hungary which suppressed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. L3Harris received $121 million on Jan. 14; and Northrop Grumman $155 million on Jan. 22. The Drive brings us estimates of the per round price for several types of missiles in the US inventory, “ship launched” here and “air launched” here. The “air launched” list includes a couple of missiles that can also be surface launched, LRASM and Hellfire.

China creates new Information Support Force, scraps Strategic Support Force in ‘major’ shakeup

“Cost and Value in Air and Missile Defense Intercepts”: Audio Brief with Wes Rumbaugh - CSIS Center for Strategic and International Studies

“Cost and Value in Air and Missile Defense Intercepts”: Audio Brief with Wes Rumbaugh.

Posted: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

In that engagement, the Gravely used its Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) to engage an incoming anti-ship cruise missile. The 20-millimeter (mm) rounds fired by the CIWS were likely cheaper than the anti-ship cruise missile they engaged. The cost of using these cheaper interceptors, however, was operational risk, allowing the missile within a mile of the roughly $2 billion ship and all of the sailors on it before it was shot down. Several cruise missiles integrate GPS systems to achieve pinpoint accuracy. These systems necessitate connectivity with the GPS or GLONASS satellite networks and facilitate adherence to predetermined flight paths. Cruise missiles can strike designated targets with unparalleled precision by leveraging specific coordinates, augmenting their role in modern warfare.

Efficiency in modern warfare

Its joint multi-effects warhead enables the commander to control the blast. The two-way satellite communications are used to perform post-launch mission changes throughout the flight. The on-board camera provides imagery of the target to the commanders before the strike. The Block Va variants will be named Maritime Strike and have the capability of hitting a moving target.

Netherlands, Lithuania to Practice Patriot Air Defense Systems in Eastern Flank Exercise

The United States Air Force (USAF) deploys an air-launched cruise missile, the AGM-86 ALCM. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is the exclusive delivery vehicle for the AGM-86 and AGM-129 ACM. Both missile types are configurable for either conventional or nuclear warheads. The most common mission for cruise missiles is to attack relatively high-value targets such as ships, command bunkers, bridges and dams.[52] Modern guidance systems permit accurate attacks. Even though cruise missiles are cheaper, more mobile, and more versatile, ballistic missiles are among the most feared armaments in existence. No nation has launched an ICBM as an act of war against another nation, although some nations have tested these missiles during training exercises.

Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM): Navigating with Terrain

Tomahawk Block IV missile demonstrated its moving target capability in tests conducted in February 2015. The US Government approved an agreement in 2003 to deliver 65 Tomahawk Block IV missiles for the UK. In August 2004, the US Navy placed a $1.6bn multi-year procurement contract with Raytheon for 2,200 Tomahawk Block IV missiles. 41 VLS would have to be assured and while NAVAIR added that, “A surface-launch variant is outside the scope of MACE at this time,” it notably did not rule out the idea. Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Douglas Scott, assigned to “The Fighting Tigers” of Patrol Squadron ...

RGM / UGM-109D (Block III TLAM-D) is a submunitions dispenser variant armed with 166 combined-effects bomblets. The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) can strike high-value or heavily defended land targets. The Block II TLAM-A missile achieved initial operating capability in 1984.

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Prices can range from a few hundred thousand dollars for smaller models to over $10 million for larger, more advanced models. Multi-engine maritime patrol airplanes and bombers have considerable underwing space where several large cruise missiles like the LRASM and JASSM can be carried. Space is at a greater premium on the F-35 and Super Hornet, a reality that likely explains the RFI’s advisement that, "The USN desired MACE solution will maximize weapon load-out..."

However, nuclear-armed Tomahawks have not been used in combat and are currently deactivated. Current Air Force plans call for the procurement of about 1,000 new nuclear-capable missiles to replace the current fleet of AGM-86B missiles that have been operational since 1986. The service says a new ALCM is needed because the existing missiles are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and are losing their ability to penetrate sophisticated air defenses. The new missile will be compatible with the B-52H and planned B-21 bombers. Infrared (IR) guidance presents yet another terminal phase technique, steering missiles toward heat-emitting sources like engines.

In 1944, during World War II, Germany deployed the first operational cruise missiles. The V-1, often called a flying bomb, contained a gyroscope guidance system and was propelled by a simple pulsejet engine, the sound of which gave it the nickname of "buzz bomb" or "doodlebug". Accuracy was sufficient only for use against very large targets (the general area of a city), while the range of 250 km was significantly lower than that of a bomber carrying the same payload. The main advantages were speed (although not sufficient to outperform contemporary propeller-driven interceptors) and expendability. Bomber-launched variants of the V-1 saw limited operational service near the end of the war, with the pioneering V-1's design reverse-engineered by the Americans as the Republic-Ford JB-2 cruise missile.

Air Force’s program to build a new fleet of nuclear air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) has risen to between $14.2 billion and $16.2 billion as the service begins the main development phase for the weapons. At the same time, the study also raises questions about whether adversaries would chose expensive land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs) rather than cheaper alternatives (such as existing ballistic missiles) to strike US territory. Thus, US “decisionmakers would need to consider whether the cost of a wide-area cruise missile defense was proportionate to the overall risk posed by LACM,” CBO says.

NAVAIR also stressed that designing MACE for F-35A/C internal-carriage would by itself “immediately maximize stores-carriage on F/A-18E/F”. Arming America’s fleet of fighting ships is an extremely expensive endeavor. During this stage, teams were tasked with designing missile variants according to US Department of Defense requirements and ensuring the system’s availability for partner nations and allied forces. These missiles are about the same size and weight and fly at similar speeds to the above category. Following the Milestone B decision, the Air Force in July awarded a $2 billion development contract to the Raytheon Co. for the program. The latest projection does not include the upgraded warhead for the missile, dubbed the W80-4, which is expected to cost an additional $11 billion.

This includes the cost of fuel, maintenance, personnel, and other related expenses. Factors such as the type of missile, the distance it must travel, and the number of missiles being launched can all affect the total cost of launching a cruise missile. The impulse toward efficiency and cost consciousness in defense spending is important in spending taxpayer money effectively. However, the goal of the Department of Defense is not to have the most favorable accounting balance, but to provide a military capable of supporting U.S. national security priorities.

The exact guidance system and navigational dynamics of the Tomahawk missile are classified. However, it is known that it can use GPS or inertial guidance systems to hit the target. Navy states that up to 15 targets can be pre-programmed for missile salvos. The Tomahawk is capable of "loitering," meaning that, provided the missile has enough fuel, it can fly around in circles to relay information or wait for the right target. It has a range of around 1,500 miles, meaning that the ship or submarine launching the missile is well out of harm's way. The JCTD office provided project oversight, and Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW) provided technical management and overall technology integration.

This strategic maneuver enhances their overall performance by combining the advantages of different altitudes. Typically, these missiles initiate their journey at high altitudes to extend their operational range. The Sarmat can carry up to 24 MIRVs; each MIRV carries nuclear warheads with yields ranging anywhere from hundreds of kilotons to a few megatons.

The 06/III (RP-216) and 06/IV (RP-212) contained gyroscopic guidance systems.[5] The vehicle was designed to boost to 28 km altitude and glide a distance of 280 km, but test flights in 1934 and 1936 only reached an altitude of 500 meters. Cruise missiles are unmanned vehicles that are propelled by jet engines, much like an airplane. Ballistic missiles are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target. Many countries choose missiles because they may be deployed efficiently against an enemy with a strong air defense system, making the use of human aircraft in such an attack impossible or too expensive.