Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC
The US Navy is resisting moves to re-open production of the Raytheon AGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile . Instead it will top up its inventory by converting 200 stored Tomahawk anti-ship missiles and upgrading another 424 Block II Tomahawk land attack missiles (TLAMs).
Moves are afoot within the US Congress to restart production of Block III TLAMs to replace more than 200 missiles expended during the recent Kosovo conflict. The UK Royal Navy has also announced plans to order 15 more submarine-launched Tomahawks and take options on another 15 to maintain its stock of 65 missiles, the last of which will be delivered shortly.
"Its not economically feasible to restart production," says Raytheon Tomahawk programme manager George Mavko. "The US Navy has shut down building Block IIIs and is proceeding with the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk.
"Replenishment for the RN will have to come out of existing USN Block III stocks or as 30 additional manufactured missiles."
In the interim, the USN has awarded Raytheon a $414 million contract to convert 200 of its 500 deactivated AGM-109B TASMs at a projected cost of $1.3 million a missile. Each will be rebuilt to a Block IIIC TLAM configuration with a 450kg (1,000lb) warhead, global positioning system (GPS), terrain contour matching navigation and digital scene matching area correlation system (DSMAC) terminal guidance. "Everything forward of the wing has to be replaced," says Mavko.
In addition, 100 of the navy's remaining 700 Block IIs will be remanufactured to Block IIICs. The addition of GPS and the lighter warhead will extend the missile's range to over 1,850km (1,000nm), while the DSMAC, with improved processor and algorithms, ensures more accurate targeting. Another 324 of the earlier TLAMs will be modified to a Block IIID standard with the new BLU-97 submunition payload replacing a unitary warhead, each for between $375,000 and $400,000.
The first remanufactured TLAM is scheduled for delivery 14-18 months after contract signature. All 624 missiles will be completed by mid-2002. This could be extended, with discussions under way of more funding in fiscal year 2000 for additional remanufacturing. "This will dovetail nicely with the start of Tactical Tomahawk deliveries," says Mavko.
Raytheon has entered into a fixed-price contract to deliver 1,350 Block IVs at a unit price of $569,000 compared to the $1.5 million the company claims a new production Block III would cost. Initial low-rate production will start in 2001with the missile scheduled to enter service from 2003.
Source: Flight International
