The Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, (TLAM) will benefit from the bumper upgrade on the UK’s submarine fleet, making Britain more effective in deterring threats. The contract to upgrade the weapons system has been signed with the US Government which will see technical and maintenance support across various UK sites belonging to BAE Systems, Babcock International and Lockheed Martin. The Royal Navy’s Astute-Class submarines will be armed with an enhanced Block V standard missile, capable of striking severe threats at a range of up to 1,000 miles.
The newly upgraded missiles will enjoy a longer range than their predecessor the Block IV variant, making the missile capable of precision strike ability with unmatched range and accuracy.
New technology within the upgrade will also make the weapons resistant to counter-attacks or cyber-interference and will benefit from modern in-flight communication and target selection.
Weighing in at 2,200kg a piece, and measuring over 5 meters in length, the Tomahawk first entered service in 1998.
The missiles are capable of hitting land targets following a sea launch within minutes due to high subsonic speeds.