Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: graper@BRL.MIL (MTSD/FIO) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Tomahawks Message-ID: <1991Jan19.035716.3720@cbnews.att.com> Date: 19 Jan 91 03:57:16 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 13 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Graper Brad P (MTSD/FIO) Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (I believe that is the designation) are hard to hit with SAMs mainly because they are small compared to an aircraft. They also tend to fly prety low, whikch in combination with their small size and the speed they're moving make the intercept difficult. The small size means they won't be acquired until they are prettty close, and then the altitude and speed will make the intercept window very short. They don't need chaff or flares. They will usually be programmed to fly a course designed to make it difficult for known SAM sites to hit them. I can't tell you how we get the digitized terrain maps which are fed into the TLAM's computer. It's pretty neat, though, huh? Peace through superior firepower.