Building Smarter,Cheaper Cruise Missiles
Technology Upgrades Next-Generation Cruise Missiles, But Will They Fly?
By Paul Eng
Jan. 17
Twelve years ago during Operation Desert Storm, the Tomahawk cruise missile made its debut as a high-tech weapon that could automatically hit a distant and dangerous target without risking the lives of human pilots.
Now the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research, or ONR, say it's working with Titan Corp., a military contractor in San Diego, to develop a new generation of cruise missiles that could be much more capable — and 10 times cheaper to boot.
The so-called affordable missile works much like current cruise missiles. It can be mounted on a ship or land vehicle and launched from its shipping container using a tiny rocket motor. Once in the air, wings fold out from the missile's body, a small but efficient turbofan engine powers its flight, and on-board computers use radar and satellite global positioning system signals to guide the missile to its preprogrammed destination.
There the similarities end. Unlike conventional cruise missiles, the ONR prototype also contains encrypted communication gear that allows a human operator to control the missile using a handheld computer.
Soldiers in the field would be able to order the missile to divert from preprogrammed targets and loiter over an area as needed or attack a different target altogether. On-board cameras could even provide the soldier on the ground with a bird's-eye view of the battlefield before attacking — much like an unmanned Predator drone.
‘Smaller, Better, and Cheaper’ Weapons
The missile's developers say technology for the prototype is already available — and inexpensively — through commercial parts.
And by using nonmilitary components, ONR and Titan officials say an affordable missile will cost around $40,000 — a mere 10th the price of current Tomahawks missiles.
While ONR concedes the Navy hasn't decided if it will move the project beyond the demonstration phase, researchers say if given the green light they could produce and field up to 100 missiles for further tests by September.
Building such "smaller, better, and cheaper" weapons is a long-standing goal of the military, says John Pike, an analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, a military think tank in Alexandria, Va.
And weapons like this could have a place in a future naval fleet of smaller ships. "You could put a whole mess of these things on a small ship," he says. "And a fleet of these inexpensive ships would have more punch than a single large aircraft carrier."
Tomahawks Cruisin’ With the Times
But Pike doubts that something like ONR's missile would advance beyond the prototype phase, mainly because the military already has a vast arsenal of Tomahawk missiles getting significant upgrades.
Under a program called Tactical Tomahawk, for instance, the Navy plans to add similar loitering and retargeting capabilities, as well as enhanced GPS receivers that are less prone to enemy jamming. New construction techniques and designs under consideration may also significantly lower the cost of Tomahawks.
"The challenge of the affordable weapon is exactly what problem does this solve?" asks Pike. "What does this bring to the table?"
And to figure that out, Pike says engineers at ONR and Titan will have to do more research, which will undoubtedly raise the cost of the missile.
"When you go into battle, you want to know that your bullets are going to work," says Pike. "And the problem with developing weapons cheaper, faster and better, you typically end up with only two of the three."