* Following the success of ALCM and SLCM, new cruise missiles have been developed in the West. These are generally air-launched weapons, though ground and sea launched variants are under consideration. This chapter provides a survey of modern air-launched cruise missiles.
* The US has followed up ALCM with a lighter, more modern air-launched cruise missile for tactical attack. Development of the "AGM-158A Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)" was initiated in 1996. It evolved out of an earlier program, the "Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile (TSSAM)", that was canceled because of cost escalation. The emphasis in JASSM development was on limiting costs while retaining capability. Price is expected to be under $500,000 USD in quantity. After a competition between Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), Lockheed Martin won the full scale development contract in the spring of 1998. (Hughes' AirHawk, the cut-down version of the Tomahawk mentioned in the previous chapter, didn't make it into the finals.)
JASSM has switchblade wings and a unitary penetrating warhead. It navigates using a GPS-INS guidance system and has an infrared seeker system to give it a CEP of 3 meters (10 feet). JASSM is powered by a Teledyne J402-100 turbojet engine and incorporates a high degree of stealth to improve its ability to penetrate enemy air defenses. It is fitted with a datalink to provide status and location data up to impact, assisting in bomb damage assessment, and may eventually incorporate a satellite datalink to perform this function.
AGM-158A JASSM: _____________________ _________________ _______________________ spec metric english _____________________ _________________ _______________________ length 4.35 meters 14 feet total weight 1,000 kilograms 2,200 pounds warhead weight 450 kilograms 1,000 pounds speed subsonic range at altitude 320 kilometers 200 MI / 175 NMI _____________________ _________________ _______________________
First powered flights of JASSM were conducted late in 1999, with first launch of a fully configured and armed missile in April 2001, and operational tests in 2002. Although there were some development problems that led to a stretchout of the program, initial production was authorized in early 2002, and the weapon is now in service. The USAF is currently planning to buy about 4,900 JASSMs. The US Navy has committed to buying 514 JASSMS, though that service has been committed to "SLAM-ER", a derivative of the Harpoon antiship missile, and has had mixed feelings about JASSM. The weapon is being qualified for launch on the B-52, B-1, B-2, F-16, F/A-18E/F, and the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The missile will only be carried internally by the B-1 and B-2.
In 2006, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) selected the JASSM, to be carried by RAAF Northrop Grumman F/A-18 Hornets, and eventually RAAF Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. Australia was the first export customer for JASSM.
The Air Force is obtaining a "JASSM-ER (Extended Range)" with a range of about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and the same airframe, the increased range being partly obtained by use of a turbofan engine, such as a variant of the Williams F107 or F122 (used on TSSAM). Formal go-ahead for development was given to Lockheed Martin in 2004, with initial test flights in 2006, and introduction to service expected in 2009. The Air Force plans to buy 1,400 JASSM-ERs, as part of the 4,900-unit total JASSM buy. The program was threatened by technical problems for a time, but the difficulties were resolved.
* Lockheed Martin is considering a "JASSM-XR (Extra Extended Range)" variant that would double the range again to over 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles), but would only be carried on bombers and heavy strike aircraft. The JASSM-XR design is stretched to 6.3 meters (20 feet 8 inches) and features a fixed canard to ensure flight trim.
At the other end of the scale, the company is considering a shortened variant, the "JASSM-SR", that could be carried in the internal weapons bays of stealthy strike aircraft. The company would like the JASSM-SR to have the same warheads as the larger version, but unsurprisingly fears that the JASSM-SR may not be able to match the range of the standard JASSM. An F-22 Raptor would be able to carry an internal load of two JASSM-SRs.
Lockheed Martin is now experimenting with a stealthy antiship missile derivative of the JASSM-ER, designated the "Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile A (LRASM-A)". It is apparently a fast-track demonstration program, featuring a multimode seeker developed by BAE Systems and a semi-armor-piercing warhead. Test flights are expected in 2012, but there is no commitment to production.
Other possible future developments of JASSM include:
* In 2011, Boeing announced that a new cruise missile, designated the "Counter-electronics High-power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP)", was in advanced development for the Air Force Research Labs, having performed its first flight that summer.
CHAMP carries a nonlethal warhead, intended to knock adversary electronic systems offline using pulses of high power microwave (HPM) energy that can be focused on specific targets along or to the sides of the line of flight. Initial flight of CHAMP was in the spring of 2011. Notional drawings show a stealthy airframe with straight pop-out wings, an inverted vee tail, and an engine intake on the top of the tail. No specifics have been released, but Boeing says CHAMP is close to operational status.
BACK_TO_TOP* JASSM is representative, though not the first, of a class of air-launched standoff weapons now being developed in several countries. The French Matra "Arme Propulsee Antipiste A Charges Ejectables (APACHE / Propelled Anti-Runway Munition With Ejectable Charges)" missile is a stealthy standoff weapon with switchblade wings and a Turbomeca turbojet engine. It has a GPS-INS guidance system, coupled with terrain-following radar for low altitude penetration.
APACHE carries ten 52 kilogram (115 pound) "Kriss" runway-penetrating submunitions that are released out of the sides and the bottom. The French air force, the Armee de l'Air, now has the Apache in service. Apparently APACHE was also evaluated with other antiarmor and antipersonnel submunition loads, but these configurations have not been fielded.
MATRA APACHE: _____________________ _________________ _______________________ spec metric english _____________________ _________________ _______________________ wingspan 2.53 meters 8 feet 4 inches length 5.1 meters 16 feet 9 inches total weight 1,200 kilograms 2,700 pounds warhead weight 520 kilograms 1,150 pounds speed subsonic range at altitude 150 kilometers 93 MI / 81 NMI _____________________ _________________ _______________________
* The APACHE airframe is being used for the French "Scalp-EG (Emploi General / General Purpose)" cruise missile, with a unitary warhead and larger fuel tanks for extended range. It carries the British Broach penetrating warhead. Scalp-EG will use GPS-INS navigation with a terrain following system, along with an imaging infrared seeker coupled to an automatic target recognition system. The French Armee de l'Air and the French naval air arm, the Aeronavale, are buying a total of 500 of these weapons; the SCALP-EG entered service in 2003.
The winner of the British CASOM competition was an APACHE derivative almost identical to Scalp-EG named "Storm Shadow". Scalp-EG and Storm Shadow apparently differ only mission planning equipment and aircraft interfaces. Britain ordered 900 Storm Shadows, with the missile going into service with the RAF in 2002 and seeing introduction to combat during the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003.
There is interest in introducing an extended-range variant of the Scalp EG / Storm Shadow, using a new high-energy "JP-10" fuel instead of the current "JP-5" kerosene-based fuel. The British have done some work on an even longer range variant, using new Rolls-Royce light expendable engine technology. Other efforts have focused on developing a one-way datalink for strike assessment, to be followed by a two-way datalink that will permit in-flight mission changes and a more robust navigation system. Long-range Improvements under consideration include new warloads and loitering capability, possibly with "smarts" to provide an autonomous or semi-autonomous search and destroy capability.
Italy has also placed an order for 200 Storm Shadows, and Matra BAE Dynamics has sold the Scalp-EG / Storm Shadow to the United Arab Emirates under the name "Black Shaheen", named after a species of falcon, with delivery in 2002. Greece has ordered the Storm Shadow as well, and there is interest in several other countries.
The French are developing a derivative of SCALP for ship and submarine launch. This "Naval SCALP" uses SCALP components but has a new airframe compatible with torpedo-tube launch. It will have a range well in excess of 1,000 kilometers (620 kilometers) and will have an optional datalink. Full-scale development began in early 2007, with initial test flights performed in the spring of 2010. Vertical-launch Naval SCALPS are planned to be in service on the new FREMM frigates by 2014, and submarine-launched Naval SCALPs are planned to be in service on new BARRACUDA-class attack submarines by 2016. Warheads being considered include a kinetic-energy penetrator and a derivative of the British Broach penetrating warhead. Italy and Spain are interested in the Naval SCALP.
* The French do have a standoff nuclear cruise missile in service, the Aerospatiale "Air-Sol Moyenne Portee (ASMP)". It was originally carried by the Mirage IV bomber, but is now carried by the Mirage 2000N strike fighter. The ASMP is 5.38 meters (17 feet 8 inches) long and is propelled by a ramjet engine, which allows it to cruise at Mach 3 after being brought up to speed by a solid-propellant booster. The weapon carries a 150 kilotonne warhead and can follow terrain to a target up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The French went on to develop an improved "ASMP-A", which was fielded on Dassault Rafale land-based and shipboard fighters from 2010.
BACK_TO_TOP* DASA of Germany developed a family of gliding cluster munitions, the most representative of the family being the "BK-90" or "DWS-24", which Sweden has acquired for the SAAB Gripen fighter as "Mjoelnir". The BK-90 has a boxy fuselage, stubby wings, a tailfin on each rear corner, and twelve launch tubes on each side. These weapons ended up through a series of organizational changes under the label of the European Aerospace & Defense Systems (EADS) group, to then change to the Matra BAE Dynamics (MBDA) missile group, in which EADS remains a substantial shareholder.
The BK-90 and its siblings are discussed in detail in a separate document; the BK-90 is relevant here because MBDA and Bofors of Sweden have developed a cruise missile derivative, designated by the somewhat strained acronym of "Target Adaptive Unitary & Dispenser Robotic Ubiquity System (TAURUS)", or more formally as the "Kinetic Energy Penetrating Destroyer 350 (KEPD-350)". A smaller variant, the "KEPD-150", has apparently also been considered, but details are unclear.
The joint MBDA-Bofors company building the missile is also named Taurus. TAURUS is being developed for the air forces of Sweden and Germany. Italy was a backer, but decided to acquire the Storm Shadow missile instead.
TAURUS is powered by a Williams International P8300 turbojet engine and has switchblade wings. It has a length of about 5 meters (16 feet 5 inches) and weighs about 1,300 kilograms (2,870 pounds), including a 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) unitary warhead). TAURUS has GPS-INS guidance, along with terrain-following radar and a terrain-matching navigation system, plus an imaging infrared seeker for terminal guidance. Range is over 500 kilometers (310 miles).
The missile has stealth features including split engine inputs, which helps reduce its radar signature. It can carry chaff and flare dispensers to confuse enemy air defenses. TAURUS is being designed to carry a "Mephisto" two-stage penetrating unitary warhead, or will act as a submunitions dispenser. Possible submunitions include the "SMART-SEAD" submunition for attacking air-defense sites, using the same intelligent submunition as designed for the Bofors SMART-155 artillery shell, discussed elsewhere.
First flight test of TAURUS was in the fall of 1999, with the weapon introduced into Luftwaffe service in late 2005. Germany has ordered 600, with the weapon to be initially carried on Panavia Tornado strike aircraft and later on Eurofighters. Spain ordered an initial batch of 43 weapons in 2004, initially for carriage on Spanish F/A-18 Hornets and later on the Eurofighter. The Swedes are interested in obtaining the weapon as well.
* Israel Military Industries (IMI) sells a midsize cruise missile, the "Delilah". It has stubby main wings, cruciform tailfins, and a turbojet engine intake in the middle of the belly. It has GPS-INS navigation and a datalink, allowing control over the missile and readout of its seeker system. Either an imaging infrared or daylight imaging seeker can be fitted. The Delilah has a range of over 250 kilometers (155 miles) and can loiter in a target area. Air, ship, or ground-launched versions are available, with the ship and ground-launched versions featuring a solid-fuel booster and folding control surfaces. Delilahs were first used in the clash between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militia in 2006.
In 2011, the Turkish Defense Research & Development Agency announced it had test-flown an air-launched cruise missile, the modular "stand-off missile (SOM)". It was of similar configuration to the Storm Shadow, with pop-out wings and turbojet propulsion. It has a launch weight of 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds), including a 230 kilogram (505 pound) unitary warhead. It features a GPS-INS guidance system with terrain recognition and programmable waypoints. It performs terminal attack with an imaging infrared seeker. Range is at least 185 kilometers (115 miles).
A number of other cruise missile projects have been put forward around the world, but details of these projects are unclear and it is difficult to know if there is any substance to them or not. South Africa's Kentron has publicized an air-launched cruise missiles such as the "TORGOS", but no details have been forthcoming and the program appears to be in limbo. Taiwan has also been developing an air-launched cruise missile, but the only information that's been released has been a few pictures, revealing a weapon along the lines of the APACHE / Storm Shadow.
BACK_TO_TOP* Programs for cruise missile development come and go, and it's hard to know just how seriously to take them sometimes. Programs in early stages of development are at least as often as not canceled down the road without going to production; some programs are experimental; and some are no more than proposals that haven't been funded for full development.
The US Navy did considerable development of a relatively small, cheap cruise missile under the "Affordable Weapon Systems (AWS)" program. The goal was to design a new weapon that will be an order of magnitude less expensive than the Tomahawk, using off-the-shelf components as much as possible. A preliminary development contract was awarded to Titan Corporation, later part of L3, in 2002; following construction of demonstrators, a bigger contract was awarded to Titan in 2005 for a test and evaluation batch of 85 AWS missiles. Test flights were conducted, but then the program effectively disappeared.
Pictures of the AWS showed a weapon that looks very much like a scaled-down "toy" Tomahawk, ground or sea launched by a small solid-rocket booster with paddle type tailfins. It was powered by an SWB Turbines SWB-65 turbojet with 290 newtons (30 kgp / 65 lbf) thrust and was fitted with a unitary blast / fragmentation warhead, though three BLU-108/B Sensor-Fuzed Weapons, each carrying four "Skeet" submunitions, was considered as an alternate warhead. The AWS was GPS-guided, featured a datalink system, and has a loitering capability.
TITAN AWS: _____________________ _________________ _______________________ spec metric english _____________________ _________________ _______________________ diameter 34.3 centimeters 13.5 inches length 3.28 meters 10 feet 9 inches launch weight 334 kilograms 737 pounds warhead weight 90 kilograms 200 pounds max speed 460 KPH 290 MPH / 250 KT range 1,530 kilometers 950 MI / 825 NMI _____________________ _________________ _______________________
Why the AWS was abandoned is unclear, since few involved in dead-end programs are inclined to say much about them. The idea did seem to have merit; it might have simply been done in by changing requirements -- but there's also the unfortunate tendency of "cheap and dirty" weapon systems to turn out to be nowhere near as cheap as expected, while ending up unacceptably dirty.
* The Navy has also investigated a very fast cruise missile. In the summer of 2002, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Boeing a contract to develop a demonstrator for a Mach 6 cruise missile under the "HyFly" program. The objective is to build a missile that could be launched from surface ships, submarines, or aircraft to attack mobile targets after they have been spotted and before they have time to move.
The HyFly demonstrator is powered by a "dual combustion ramjet" engine. A traditional ramjet can operate at speeds up to Mach 5 at most, but above that speed the airflow in the engine becomes supersonic. (The speed of sound under high pressure and temperature conditions inside a jet engine is much greater than it is in the outside air, and airflow is slowed inside the engine as well.) It is difficult to mix and burn fuel in a supersonic airflow, at least in an engine of any reasonable length. Experimental "supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet)" engines are being developed that can operate at speeds potentially as high as Mach 25, but they require fast-burn fuels that are inconvenient or unsafe, or feature a relatively bulky fuel system that uses engine heat to "crack" conventional jet fuel down into smaller, more rapidly burned molecules.
The dual combustion ramjet is a compromise. It operates around a core "ramjet combustor" with its own set of inlets, where the intake air is slowed to subsonic speeds, mixed with fuel, and burned. However, the outlet air from the core ramjet is mixed with supersonic air in a "supersonic combustor" with another set of inlets, and burned more completely. A dual combustion ramjet can operate at up to Mach 6.5; it is cheaper and more compact than a scramjet. Since ramjets can't generate static thrust, the HyFly demonstrator's dual combustion ramjet will be brought up to speed by a booster rocket. The airframe is made with a ceramic composite matrix (CMC) to tolerate high friction heating.
DARPA initially conducted the program with US Naval Research Lab backing, though the Navy dropped out. The development is being done by the Boeing Phantom Works, with Aerojet as the engine contractor. Following airdrops of inert airframes and booster tests from 2005, the initial all-up flight was in September 2007, followed by a second flight in January 2008. Neither of the first two flights was a complete success, though useful data was obtained.
A production derivative of Hyfly would be built of titanium and would have a "slip-in" launch booster that would be fitted inside the missile and discarded after burnout. It would have GPS-INS guidance and possibly a terminal seeker, and submunition or unitary payloads. A hard-target penetrating warhead is another option. A ship or submarine launched weapon would probably be about 6.5 meters (21 feet 4 inches) long, weigh 1,725 kilograms (3,800 pounds), and have a range of 1,100 kilometers (600 nautical miles). An air-launched weapon would probably be about 4.65 meters (15 feet 3 inches) long, weigh 1,050 kilograms (2,300 pounds), and have a range of 740 kilometers (400 miles). Further HyFly test flights were planned, but there's been no further news; whether the program is temporarily on hold or has been abandoned is unclear.
* In September 2003, an announcement was made that Lockheed Martin's famous "Skunk Works" was developing an air-launched "reusable" cruise missile, or "unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)", named the "Minion". Details released describe it as able to carry a reconnaissance payload, a jammer system, a high-power microwave weapon, or four 100 kilogram (220 pound) GPS-guided small-diameter bombs.
Range was given as up to 1,850 kilometers (1,000 nautical miles). Two would be carried into combat by a single strike fighter such as a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, with one under each wing, and launched from standoff distances to attack heavily defended targets. After the mission, the Minions would return to base and land conventionally on retractable landing gear. Pictures showed the Minion to have a certain broad resemblance to the AGM-158A JASSM, of course also built by Lockheed Martin and suggesting a connection to that JASSM program. The picture showed the Minion to have a spikelike, square-sided fuselage, with pop-out wings and twin tailfins, with the engine inlet just forward of the tailfins and the exhaust just behind the tailfins. Both the intake and the exhaust were shielded by triangular covers.
There were very vague and unconfirmed rumors that the Minion was used in an operational evaluation during the invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003. There has been little or no mention of the Minion since that time, and the program appears to have been abandoned, if it was ever any more than a proposal to begin with.
* Lockheed Martin has also investigated loitering attack missiles in a range of scales, including a weapon called "Top Cover". This is a turbofan-powered cruise missile with forward-swept switchblade wings, a launch weight of 200 kilograms (440 pounds), a payload weight of 20 kilograms (44 pounds), and an endurance of up to 24 hours. It would operate as a light cruise missile or expendable surveillance UAV. In addition, Boeing's Phantom Works has worked on a "miniature cruise missile airframe technology demonstrator" for the Air Force. No specifics are available.
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