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Here are the super-advanced missiles the US Navy wants to keep Russia and China in check

Here are the super-advanced missiles the US Navy wants to keep Russia and China in check

The Block IV anti-ship Tomahawk missile.

Watch the successful test of the newly improved Tomahawk missile. Keep in mind that to keep the cost of testing down, the missile was not meant to sink the ship.

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“[Along with] our surface brothers and sisters, we got to get the long-range missile so we’re not held out by that A2/AD (anti-access/area denial) bubble and we have the stick to hit inside,” said Vice Adm. Joseph Tofalo, commander, Naval Submarine Forces said.

The SM-6 Dual I

The SM-6 interceptor may be the first missile capable of intercepting both ballistic missiles, which fall from the sky, and cruise missiles, which fly along the surface of earth, sometimes even snaking through mountains.

In the past, these two distinct types of missiles, ballistic and cruise, have required different missiles to stop them, but the SM-6's advanced signal processing and guidance control capabilities make it a useful defense against both types.

Length: 21 feet long

Weight: 3,300 pounds

Range: unspecified

Speed: supersonic

Role in 2017 budget plan: $501 million to acquire 125 SM-6s

Source

Watch the SM-6 intercept both a ballistic and a cruise missile.

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“It’s the only missile now out there that has what we call dual-mission capability,” Raytheon program manager Mike Campisi told BreakingDefense.com.

“That allows the combatant commanders to have choice. Instead of having separate boutique missiles for each mission… they can put SM-6s,” Campisi continued.

AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile)

The LRASM is a precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile with a penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead. The Navy wants the LRASM to replace the harpoon, which has been in service since 1977, and is easily foiled by today's modern defenses.

The LRASM on the other hand, is stealthy due to it's angular shape, making it hard for enemies to detect. Also, in the case of electronic interference, the LRASM has advanced anti-jamming GPS guidance.

Additionally, the LRASM can be fired from ships and planes, like the F/A-18 pictured above.

Length: 14 feet

Weight: 2,100 pounds

Range: more than 200 miles

Speed: high subsonic

Navy plans to acquire: $30 million for the first 10 missiles

Source

For an in depth rendering of how the LRASM works, watch the video from Lockheed Martin below.

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