Tomohawks... old, new and inbetween... have been used against third world countries with precious little real modern defense. I am NOT belittling the Tomohawk per se anyway. And let's cut to the chase. I'm not talking about India or Pakistan or even Iran. I'm talking about Chinese naval and land targets.Well let’s see …Having the speed of the Brahmos is nice in the anti-ship role, but it is hardly a panacea. In the land attack role, except over extremely flat terrain, high speed and low altitude don’t mix well, forcing the Brahmos to fly higher than the Tomahawk and therefore more vulnerable to detection and engagement. Combined with their much longer range allowing the approach to take place from unanticipated directions. Tomahawks have frequently been able to take advantage of blind spots to sneak into very close range of the target before being spotted, Brahmos cannot do this.
- The Tomahawk has 6x the range of the Brahmos, a 50% larger warhead, and is half the size, but only 1/3 the speed. The extra speed is not worth much if you are dead before you get in range.
- Tomahawks use the standard VLS launch system and can be swapped with SM-2, SM-3, and ESSM quad packs as needed. Brahmos requires a dedicated launch system which eats up a lot of scarce deck space. Typically a ship with Tomahawk missiles will have 3x to 5x as many as one equipped with Brahmos missiles, making it much more likely to saturate the target’s defenses.
- Brahmos had a larger radar signature than Tomahawk, and a huge thermal signature, much easier to spot. The US Navy has been practicing shooting down missiles like the Brahmos for 30 years, they don’t seem very worried. Something like 1000 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been launched in anger, how many have been shot down?
Doesn’t mean that the Tomahawk is always better, or will always be good enough. The US is working on both stealthier subsonic and hypersonic systems when they are needed. Odds are that these systems will be the same size as the Tomahawk, but with less range or smaller warheads. Switching to something the size of Brahmos would require redesigning most of the ships in fleet.
I am not demeaning the Tomohawk per se. But it hasn't been tasked yet with penetrating the kind of air or sea defense of a country with more than a third class military.Let me guess, you actually think the version in current service is the same one that was introduced in 1983?
Name another cruise missile that has the range, is such a compact package that also offers a decent size warhead and has the mission planning capabilities of the current generation of Tomahawk missiles?
I don’t know of a clear set of rules for defining the ‘class’ of a military. or their ground based air defense, but I think Iraq (before Desert Storm) and Libya were at least 2nd class. In fact, before Desert Storm, Iraq was considered as 2nd only to the USSR as to the density of its ground air defenses.I am not demeaning the Tomohawk per se. But it hasn't been tasked yet with penetrating the kind of air or sea defense of a country with more than a third class military.
I don't think the issue is density of air defenses, is it? I suppose if you field a million SA-2's you'll hit something... maybe a big bird. Assessing a nation's capabilities must necessarily include system generation and deployment capability. So having lots and lots of old weapon systems doesn't make you that dangerous. Having a couple new weapon systems doesn't make you that dangerous if the training and professionalism are absent. In the first Gulf War pundits (and perhaps Pentagon analysts) gave much more credence to Iraqi military capability than they were ever able to demonstrate. They were plentiful... but not that good. So I am talking about nations like China or Russia. This isn't a "the sky is falling" argument. China has a long way to go to really challenge western air supremacy... but they are not idle either. They have made significant technology accomplishments (albeit perhaps aided by cyber espionage) in a short period of time, so they are good at playing catch-up. This isn't fear mongering... but a decent assessment of their progress, of which they, at least, should be proud.I don’t know of a clear set of rules for defining the ‘class’ of a military. or their ground based air defense, but I think Iraq (before Desert Storm) and Libya were at least 2nd class. In fact, before Desert Storm, Iraq was considered as 2nd only to the USSR as to the density of its ground air defenses.