Cruise Missile Summary

CRUISE MISSILE SUMMARY:

During the Gulf War the Following Information was Released:

106 x T-LAM's were launched during the first day between 0100 and 0200. 100 actually reached their targets (94%). 51 of the first 52 (98%) preceeded the first wave of strike aircraft. The one failed missile did not leave its launcher tube. 54 missiles were launched to cover the escape and egress of the aircraft from the target areas. Tomahawks go for $1.34 million each, all targets pre-programmed.

Follow-On Information was made available after the war

500 x Tomahawks were deployed in theater on around 20 surface ships and others were brought aboard submarines with improved range capabilities. TLAM/C is the conventional High Explosive variant and the TLAM/D has combined effects munitions. Targets are pre-programmed on tapes prepared at Norfolk, Va. They have an operational range of around 1100 km at a speed of 800 km/hr at an altitude of 30m. New versions of the Tomahawk will utilize GPS along with its Terrain Contour Matching System (TERCOM) and its Digital. Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) program.

The USS San Jacinto (CG-56) fired the first from the Red Sea after 0100 Local. The USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) fired the first from the Gulf at the same time. 288 were fired by the end of the second day BGM-109B (TASM) Tomahawk anti-ship with same guidance as Harpoon active radar seeker and Passive ID/DF systems. BGM-109C (TLAM-C) Tomahawk with 1000 lbs warhead was used to takeout command centers, airfields, and air-defense systems and variants of this TLAM utilized carbon-fiber warheads

BGM-109D (TLAM-D) Tomahawk for area targets, aircraft, and soft air-defense vans and equipment with 166 combined effects munitions (CEB) in partial loads for multiple targets. The Aegis Cruiser San Jacinto was carrying 122 x Tomahawks and was given the category of "special weapons platform", normally an Aegis will carry 12 x Tomahawks and 110 x Standard Anti-aircraft missiles. Three other Aegis Cruisers had at least doubled their normal loadout of Tomahwak missiles: Antietam, Philippine Sea, and Gates (stayed in Med).

The USS San Jacinto (CG-56) fired the first from the Red Sea after 0100 Local. USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) fired the first from the Gulf at the same time. 106 x T-LAM's were launched during the first day between 0100 and 0200. 100 x actually reached their targets (94%). 51 of the first 52 (98%) preceeded the first wave of strike aircraft. The one failed missile did not leave its launcher tube. Three more eventually never reached cruise. 54 missiles were launched to cover the escape and egress of the aircraft from the target areas. Tomahawks go for $1.34 million each, all targets pre-programmed. ($10,000/pound). 184 (64%) were fired by the end of the second day. The USS Louisville (SSN-724) launches 1st sub-launched Tomahawk submerged. 104 x Tomahawks were launched during subsequent days, 20 on this date.

Only 12 x longer ranged Tomahawks were fired from submarines during hostilities. The Louisville fired 8 x from the Red Sea and ther Pittsburg fired 4 x from the Mediterranean. Possibility of other launches was not ruled out. The Pentagon Final Report said "Overall, 282 of 288 Tomahawks were successfully launched by 16 surface ships and two submarines. Of these, 64% were launched during the first 48 hours of the war. These strikes were exclusively against chemical weapons facilities. The attacks on Leadership and C2 Facilities paved the way for Coalition aircraft to strike Bagdad and other heavily defended areas."

TOMAHAWK Cruise Missile Launch Summary: Total = 288 (4 failures)

... Battleships

- Missouri 28

- Wisconsin 24

... Submarines

- Pittsburg 04

- Louisville 08

... Cruisers

- Virginia 02

- Mississippi 05*

... Aegus Cruisers

- Bunker Hill 28

- Normandy 26

- Mobile Bay 22*

- San Jacinto 14*

- Philippine Sea 10

- Princeton 03

- Leyte Gulf 02

... Destroyers

- Fife 60*

- Foster 40

- Leftwich 08

- Spruance 02

- Caron 02

· each of these ships had one missile not successfully transition to flight

- 20 x failures of 104 (19%)failures

- 216 + 68 = 284 total launched

"There were 20 failures in the first day launching of 104 x Tomahawks; the missiles did not ignite properly or crashed enroute, although 216 x were fired in the first 36 hours of the War, only 68 were fired after that and apparently none in the last half of the war..."

"Desert Storm: The War in the Persian Gulf", Time Life Books

Note: if 50 of the first 51 got off OK, then the 19 other failures of the first 104 launched occurred with the next 53 or 1 failure out of every 3 fired, according to Time's assessment. 5-11Jul93 "Defense News review on the Tomahawk after 23 x more missiles were launched against the Iraqi Intelligence Service's Headquarters on 26Jun93. It does not risk men's lives and has a wide inventory of warheads. The Tomahwak has a range of 1350 NM with a nuclear warhead and 600 nm with conventional munitions. The mission planning requires time and the missile cannot be called back once launched.

- 228 x Tomahawks were said to have been used during the Gulf War

- 45 x additional Tomahawks were used in Jan 93, with 44 x impacting target

- 23 x additional Tomahawks were used in Jun 93

Current Tomahawk Block II has 805 nm range with 1,000 lbs payload of HE or sub-munitions guided by terrain following comparisons with on-board maps. Block III Tomahawk with improved GPS targeting adds 200# of fuel and uses a 700# titanium encased warhead for greater explosive power. Block IV Tomahawk developed for 2000 and beyond will utilize both aircraft and UAV control of the missile, increased range, hard-target penetration, and sensors to strike mobilke targets.

AIR WAR:

B-52's LAUNCH 35 x AGM-86C AIR-LAUNCHED CRUISE MISSILES:

The B-52 carried out the longest bombing raid in history. 7 x B-52 Aircraft launched 35 x AGM-86C specially modified conventional ALCM's. The missiles were targeted around air defense missile sites surrounding the city of Mosul in the north, out of reach of Wild Weasel resources stationed in Bahrain. The 2nd Bomb Wing Buff's mission took 35 hours and 20 minutes, round trip from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana to Iraq. We know from AW&ST(27Apr92) that 8 x Iraqi power plants were attacked the first night and three of those were by air launched cruise missiles (ALCM's)

Gulf War 1991 Chronology

Cruise Missile Summary