Do you know how Tomahawk missiles work?

You must be following the unfolding of the chemical weapons attack that took place in Syria's Khan Sheikhoun city, which resulted in the deaths of over 80 people, right? The action sparked worldwide anger and prompted the US to launch an offensive against the Syrian military base of Shayrat, where US intelligence services believe al-Assad had chemical weapons - and from which the fleet would have left. of planes that conducted the attack.

The military base housed Syrian and Russian army troops - although the Russian military was warned in advance of the attack - and the US offensive aimed to destroy buildings used by al-Assad troops as ammunition stores, radars, hangars and other structures. And how did the Americans do it? Launching 59 Tomahawk missiles from warships located in the Mediterranean. And do you know how these guns work?

War Wonder

You may have heard many times about the Tomahawk - or BMG-109 Tomahawk - have you? And they are really remarkable. These powerful weapons are cruise missiles, that is, subsonic, long-range, jet-powered guided missiles that made their first appearances in the early 1990s during the Gulf War. More precisely, the missiles "debuted" at "Operation Desert Storm" in 1991.

These beauties were originally designed by General Dynamics and today are manufactured by Raytheon Company. The missiles are just over 5.5 meters long, almost 52 centimeters in diameter, a wing span of over 2.6 meters, weighing over 1, 300 kilograms and are designed to operate at low altitudes and maintain speeds. subsonic.

There are currently different versions of the Tomahawk, each focused on carrying distinct explosives, such as the UGM-109A, which carries a W80 nuclear warhead, the RGM / UGM-109C, equipped with a conventional 450-pound warhead, and the RGM / UGM. -109D, which carries a cluster bomb containing 166 submunitions.

The latest model of the “family” is the RGM / UGM-109E Tomahawk, which carries 450 kilograms of explosives and can reach speeds of 900 kilometers per hour. In addition, these missiles have a range of approximately 1, 600 kilometers and can change their flight altitude during their trajectory - and are remotely operated, meaning that the lives of pilots and soldiers need not be put at risk during attacks. . Because those were the ones used in the American offensive launched at dawn. Look:

The Pentagon has released footage of Tomahawk missiles launching in tonight's Syria strike pic.twitter.com/hNoZyw1BOr

- Brandon Wall (@Walldo) April 7, 2017

In addition to all the features described above, it is worth noting that one of the great advantages of the Tomahawk is that although they can be launched from bomber aircraft - such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Rockwell B-1 Lancer and Northrop Grumman B- 2 Spirit - can also be launched on warships and submarines.

Missiles are fired from a pressure release tube that also provides protection during transport and storage. Once in the air, the Tomahawk wings and aerodynamic devices open and the engines come into play. Navigation is accomplished through GPS and satellite systems that guide the missiles on pre-established courses that, as mentioned earlier, can be changed during travel.

In addition, Tomahawk cameras and sensors provide route and target-related images and data to mission commanders who keep track of all the action safely in command centers - in the event of a dawn attack, from two warships located in the eastern Mediterranean.

The last time the US launched an attack on Tomahawk was in October last year against three localities in Yemen after rebels led by Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi fired missiles at several US ships.

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