The Houthi insurgents in Yemen have been targeted with Tomahawk missiles. Presided over by Vice President Joe Biden, the United States used a tried and true weapon in the assault against the militias that posed a threat to commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Tomahawk cruise missiles are the product of research and development in the 1940s. The project experienced significant advancements during the 1970s, and official delivery to the United States armed forces began in 1983, facilitated by the contractor McDonnell Douglas.
As per the initial design, the Tomahawk missile family comprised three distinct “versions”: one designed for anti-ship use and equipped with conventional warheads; the other two intended to strike terrestrial targets using conventional or nuclear warheads. Only the most recent iteration, presently manufactured by Raytheon, is in use; this version has been further developed and improved upon.
The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is currently classified as a cruise missile, measuring around 6.5 metres in length and 1.5 tonnes in mass. It is launched from vertical tubes, characteristic of more modern submarines, or from conventional torpedo tubes on submarines. The missile “opens” two wings in flight and attains an altitude of approximately 800 km/h, enabling it to strike targets 2500 km distant. A sequence of interconnected systems—DSMAC (Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlator using stored optical images), TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching using radar signals), and GPS (integrated with satellites)—enable trajectory adjustments during flight to strike the target precisely. The Block IV Tactical Tomahawk, or TACTOM, as it is currently known, is equipped with a data link that permits target changes during flight. The missile descends to an altitude of 30–40 metres before impact as it approaches its target.
In 1991, the weapon was first used in a military operation during the Gulf War. The USS Paul F. Foster fired the debut Tomahawk on January 17. Approximately 300 more were launched from ships and submarines during the offensive. The proliferation of the Tomahawk missile throughout the subsequent decade can be attributed to its efficacy. The United States employed the weapon to achieve objectives in Iraq in 1998 and again in 2003.
The U.S. Navy has adhered to a protocol since 2020 that entails the prospective modernization and recertification of missiles in preparation for their transition to the Block V variant. According to Raytheon, the United States armed forces and allied nations used the Tomahawk in combat more than 2,300 times and conducted 550 flight trials on it.
