The Navy has posted its first pictures from Operation Epic Fury, showing a variety of actions that have been taken so far, especially the launches of RGM-109 Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAMs) from its Arleigh Burke class destroyers. One image, in particular, caught our eye. It shows a glossy black TLAM unlike any we have seen before.
To date, we have never seen a black Tomahawk before. Today, the missiles are usually painted in the same haze gray tone we have been accustomed to seeing on pretty much everything in the U.S. Navy. All the other TLAMs shown being fired appear to be painted in this standard scheme, so what we are seeing appears genuinely new.
The dark color of the TLAM in question fits with that of another missile in the U.S. Navy’s inventory, the stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). These advanced cruise missiles are delivered, at least in part, not in the flat gray tone as seen on their land-attack cousins, the AGM-158 JASSM, but instead with a glossy black coating. This appears to be the case for earlier testing models and at least some operational ones. It’s our best guess that a very similar coating is now being applied to the latest TLAMs coming off the production line for the Navy.
As for why black is the new gray, as it would seem, we would expect this to be a low observable coating aimed at enhancing the survivability of the weapon, especially for strikes against maritime targets. It can also make the missile harder to spot while skimming low over the water. Having radar-absorbent and infrared suppressive properties could also be a major benefit. This is especially true for the TLAM, which has been around for decades and has been continuously improved upon to keep it relevant and effective. That has included adding low observable features, such as the chined crease in its nose section that reduces its radar cross-section from the critical front aspect. It’s also worth noting that the small v-shape gray portion of this black TLAM is the inlet door that retracts once the missile is boosted to sustained speed shortly after launch.
This new coating would appear to be part of the upgrades likely included on the latest Maritime Strike Tomahawk, otherwise known as the MST, which has a long-range anti-ship function.
The Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) is a subvariant of the latest Block V variant of the Tactical Tomahawk (TACOM), and is also known as the Block Va. Though the Block IV TACOM already has a demonstrated anti-ship capability, MST has additional features to optimize it for this role. This most notably includes a new multi-mode guidance system that reportedly includes an imaging infrared seeker. All Block V Tomahawks also come with a two-way data link, allowing them to receive course correction and other targeting updates, as well as be entirely retasked, during flight.
A set of unclassified briefing slides that Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) released last year lends additional credence to the black-colored Tomahawk being an MST. One slide includes a mention of MST along with a very low-resolution picture showing a dark-colored missile.
It isn’t clear when the first MSTs were delivered, but unless this coating is being put on past variants of the missile, this may be the first time we have seen one of these new Tomahawk variants in action.
Update:
We are also seeing video showing what appear to be TLAMs with forward swept wings. If these are indeed TLAMs, this would likely be another measure to reduce the missile’s radar cross-section and making it more survivable, and thus battlefield relevant. It’s also possible that this is a long-range Israeli cruise missile that has not been identified, although this seems less likely. Still, Israel does have the Popeye Turbo cruise missile that is nuclear-armed and used as a second strike deterrent aboard its diesel electric submarines. It is possible that this is a conventional version of that weapon.
Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com