February21, 2007:
The United States is developing a successor to the Tomahawk cruise
missile, that will be heavier (2.2 tons, versus 1.4 tons), have a longer range
(2,000 kilometers versus 1,500) and a one ton warhead (twice the size of the
Tomahawks.) The new missile will be stealthier, and use a combination of
guidance and targeting systems (to improve the chances of success). Price will
probably be the key factor in whether this new missile ever enters service. The
latest version of Tomahawk (Block 4), costs about $1.7 million each. The new
Cruise Missile XR (for Extended Range) will probably cost twice that, or more.
The cruise missile, when it showed up in the 1980s, was one of the first
UAVs, it just wasn't reusable. But UAVs that carry bombs and missiles, and can
be reused, are going to provide competition for a new, $3 million, Cruise
Missile XR.