Quote:
Originally Posted by GravityWave
I'm surprised to learn that the US doesn't really have a sub launched anti-ship missile anymore. Maybe they just aren't telling us.
"The UGM-84A undersea-launched Harpoon version was retired from U.S. Navy service in 1997, leaving the U.S. submarine force without an anti-ship missile, a capability that isn't planned to be reintroduced until the Block IV Tomahawk is modified with a moving target maritime attack feature in 2021.[20]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)
"RGM/UGM-109B Tomahawk Anti Ship Missile (TAS-M) – active radar homing anti-ship missile variant; withdrawn from service in the 1990s."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk_(missile)
Now, don't take my VLS away. They are way too much fun. |
All things considered, with Harpoon and TASM there were more cons (completely revealing your position) than pros, especially if you're shooting them at targets with modern air-defense systems and CIWS.
Anti-ship capability being added back to the Tomahawk as I understand it is more about flexibility (you could use the exact same missile against land or ship targets) and cost savings (you're refitting weapons already in inventory vs. designing and procuring totally new albeit probably more capable weapons) than anything else.