Launched from either a subs VLS (vertical launch system) or ejected from its horizontal torpedo tubes, the missile will exit the water, ignite a solid-fuel booster rocket that launches it airborne. After a few seconds , the booster exhausts its fuel supply and the missile transitions to cruise mode—unfurling its wings and switching power to its on-board, 610 lbf turbofan engine (thats nearly as powerful as the one aboard the X-36). Depending on the terrain, the missile will use either GPS for navigation in sea skim mode—a low-altitude flight over the waves at high subsonic speeds—or its Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) over land. Either way, the Block IVs have a range of 900 nmi (1,000 miles)—two hundred more than their predecessors—while maintaining their accuracy of a 10 meter range.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 04:28:35 +0000
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