Navy pulls trigger on US missile deal
BRITAIN’S stockpile of long-range Tomahawk missiles on Royal Navy submarines are to receive a £265m upgrade after ministers signed an agreement with the US government.
The work, which will be carried out at UK sites run by BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Babcock, will increase the range of missiles to 1,000 miles and make the weapons less vulnerable to counterattacks, with improved sensors and a longer shelf life.
Tomahawk missiles are carried in the Navy’s nuclear-powered Astute class attack submarines and are made by the US defence company Raytheon.
Britain bought 65 of the fourth generation variant of the missile in 2014. The missiles, which were developed by scientists at Johns Hopkins University, are powered by a small jet engine and are typically fired at land-based targets.
Jeremy Quin, the defence minister, said: “This upgrade will equip our submarines with one of the most lethal and precise long-range strike weapons.”
The Navy agreed to buy its first volley of the weapons in 1995 and they were carried by the Trafalgar-class submarines, which preceded the Astutes. The Navy has fired them during operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.
First created in the 1970s, the missiles have had several upgrades to improve their accuracy and sensors in order to relay information back to their operator and to avoid obstacles.
Each missile costs about $2m (£1.6m) and they typically fly at limited altitude to avoid interception.
Rear-adml Simon Asquith said: “The Tomahawk cruise missile is a cuttingedge system which provides the UK with real strategic and operational choice. Able to be fired from a stealthy nuclear attack submarine, the system’s exceptional range, accuracy and survivability provides the UK with a worldbeating, precision strike capability.”