The Spearhead of the Second Day of the U.S. Strikes on Iran: What We Know About the Tomahawk
The Tomahawk missile has once again taken center stage after U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that it was extensively used during the second day of the offensive against Iran.
In remarks to Fox News, Trump stated that “the American operation included the launch of 49 Tomahawk missiles, alongside fighter aircraft that targeted radar and air defense systems.”
A Limited Stockpile
The Tomahawk is one of the United States’ most significant weapons in the conflict with Iran. The United States currently produces around 90 Tomahawk missiles annually, while Raytheon has developed a plan to increase production to 1,000 missiles per year.
Hundreds of these missiles were reportedly used during the opening days of Operation Epic Rage to strike radar facilities, command centers, missile sites, and Iranian naval installations, according to National Interest magazine, which noted that the U.S. operation has thus far relied heavily on the effectiveness of the Tomahawk missile.
What Is the Tomahawk Missile?
The Tomahawk is a long-range, precision-guided cruise missile.
It has been a cornerstone of U.S. offensive military capabilities since the Cold War.
Production began in 1983, and thousands of missiles have been manufactured since then.
The system has undergone numerous upgrades and modernization programs.
What Are Its Main Specifications?
Length: 5.56 meters.
Diameter: 0.52 meters.
Launch weight: 1,300 kilograms.
Powered by a Williams International F107-WR-402 turbofan engine combined with a solid-fuel booster.
Can be launched from various platforms, including vertical launch systems, torpedo tubes, and mobile launch platforms.
It is primarily deployed from U.S. Navy destroyers, cruisers, and submarines.
What Are Its Key Advantages?
The missile is capable of flying at very low altitudes to avoid radar detection, while traveling at subsonic speeds and reaching targets located hundreds of miles inland.
It employs multiple advanced guidance systems operating simultaneously to achieve exceptional targeting accuracy, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other navigation technologies.
What Are Its Components?
Raytheon, a defense contractor headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, serves as the primary contractor for the Tomahawk missile. However, the company relies on a complex network of subcontractors and smaller firms to supply its various components, making production both slow and highly sophisticated.
From the moment an order is placed by the U.S. government, manufacturing a Tomahawk missile typically requires between 18 and 24 months. This lengthy production cycle reflects the complexity of a system that contains thousands of precision-engineered components. Depending on the variant, the total cost of a single missile ranges from $2 million to $4 million.
The missile also incorporates diverse guidance systems based on multiple navigation methods to ensure redundancy, composite materials for the missile’s structure and airframe, internal fuel tanks, specialized launch equipment, highly reliable electronics, and protective systems designed to shield onboard computers from electromagnetic interference.
All of these thousands of components must comply with stringent military specifications and undergo rigorous testing under a wide range of conditions. The result is a missile renowned for its reliability and accuracy, though one that remains relatively time-consuming to manufacture.
In addition to the complexity of its production process, the missile’s manufacturing schedule is affected by supply chain challenges. The solid-fuel rocket booster represents a major bottleneck because only a limited number of specialized companies in the United States produce these components, restricting overall production capacity.
Furthermore, many Tomahawk components come from sole-source suppliers, including specialized sensors, electronic parts, and guidance systems. As a result, any delay affecting a single supplier can disrupt the entire production line.
