Cruise missile

A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. Cruise missiles are, in essence, unmanned aircraft. They are generally designed to carry a large conventional or nuclear warhead many hundreds of miles with excellent accuracy. Modern cruise missiles normally travel at subsonic speeds, are self-navigating, and fly low in order to avoid radar detection.

Main cruise missile versions

Conventionally charged

(As of 2001) the BGM-109 Tomahawk missile model has become a significant part of the US naval arsenal. It gives ships and submarines an extremely accurate, long-range, conventional land attack weapon. Each costs about $1,900,000 USD. The US Air Force deploys an air launched cruise missile, the AGM-86. It can be launched from bombers like the B-52 Stratofortress. Both the Tomahawk and the AGM-86 were used extensively during Operation Desert Storm. The British Royal Navy (RN) also operates cruise missiles, specifically the Tomahawk, used by the RN's nuclear submarine fleet. Conventional warhead versions were first fired in combat by the RN in 1999, during the Kosovo War.

Related Topics:
2001 - Tomahawk missile - US Air Force - AGM-86 - B-52 Stratofortress - Operation Desert Storm - British - Royal Navy - 1999 - Kosovo War

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Both Tomahawk (as AGM-109) and ALCM (AGM-89) were originally developed as competing designs for the USAF ALCM nuclear tipped cruise missile competition.

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The USAF adopted the AGM-89 for its bomberfleet while AGM-109 was adapted to launch from trucks and ships and adopted by the USAF and Navy.

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The trucklaunched versions were later destroyed under the bilateral INF (Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces) treaty with the USSR which also saw the end of the Pershing II and SS-20 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles.

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Nuclear warhead versions

The US has 460 AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles (ACMs) with a W80 nuclear warhead for B-52 Stratofortress (B-52H) external carriage. Also there are ca. 350 sea launched cruise missiles with the same nuclear warhead. They all remain in storage.

Related Topics:
AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile - B-52 Stratofortress

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See also:

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• The United States and weapons of mass destruction
• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
• Woensdrecht