The US is installing upgraded Tomahawk missiles on submarines to counter China.

The USS Annapolis submarine launched a Tomahawk cruise missile off the coast of southern California in 2018. An improved version of this missile will be equipped on US submarines starting in 2024 (Photo: US Navy).

A "sea-attack" version of the Tomahawk, a missile typically used as a ground-attack weapon, will enter service after October 1, 2024, Bloomberg reported, citing Captain Jon Hersey, head of the Tomahawk program.

They will be deployed on Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class submarines, which can carry up to 12 Tomahawk land-attack missiles. Some versions of the Virginia-class submarines can carry up to 40 of these missiles.

Hersey said the latest Tomahawk models will be equipped with a new guidance system that will allow them to "attack moving targets at sea." The U.S. Navy received the first version last year for testing, and subsequently declared it combat-ready.

The American Tomahawk missile first appeared on the battlefield in the early hours of the 1991 Persian Gulf War in Iraq.

The introduction of the new version of the Tomahawk will help the US add capabilities to its growing arsenal of anti-ship missiles, alongside submarine-launched torpedoes, to counter the Chinese fleet, which possesses a significant numerical advantage.

The U.S. Navy also plans to equip surface ships with these weapons, but surface ships remain more vulnerable to China's land-based and sea-based anti-ship arsenal.

The schedule for installing Tomahawk missiles on submarines closely aligns with the Pentagon's plan to deploy thousands of unmanned vehicles in the Indo-Pacific region. This program, codenamed "Replicator," is expected to be deployed on a large scale between February and August 2025.

In its latest assessment of China's military strength, the Pentagon stated that the Chinese Navy has 370 surface vessels and submarines, including more than 140 large surface warships. The U.S. Navy can deploy 291 ships.

The Chinese Navy primarily operates modern submarines and multi-purpose vessels. It launched its third aircraft carrier last year, named CV-18 Fujian.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/my-lap-tomahawk-cai-tien-len-tau-ngam-de-doi-pho-trung-quoc-20231205130808861.htm