The Tomahawks were launched from submarines to avoid overflying Iranian airspace, reducing the risk of detection or retaliation.
While everyone was enraptured by President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the United States military had successfully conducted a massive airstrike against three major Iranian nuclear weapons facilities with US Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers, relatively little attention was paid to the fact that these assets were not the only ones deployed into that successful strike.
Indeed, the long-standing US Navy Tomahawk cruise missiles were deployed along with the B-2s to soften up targets in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Importance of Tomahawks for “Operation Midnight Hammer”
As part of “Operation Midnight Hammer”—the American operation targeting Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear weapons development sites in Iran—around 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) were fired by American guided-missile submarines off the coast of Iran.
Specifically, the missiles used were the TLAM Block IV and V variants. These are among some of America’s most important and impressive strike weapons. They have proven themselves to be key to US military successes time and time again, too.
Block IV and V TLAMs have a range of up to 1,550 miles, allowing launches from safe distances, such as 400-450 miles offshore in the Persian Gulf or Gulf of Oman. These missiles are subsonic, running at approximately 550 miles per hour. They typically carry a 1,000-pound conventional explosive warhead, though specialized payloads are available. And the TLAMs in question utilize a GPS, inertial navigation system (INS), and Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) for precision targeting.
The Block IV/V variants can be retargeted in-flight via satellite data links and can loiter near targets for delayed strikes. TLAM Block IV/Vs fly at low altitudes using terrain-following radar to evade enemy air defenses.
In the hours running up to the American strike on Iran, some news outlets reported that the USS Georgia, a legendary Ohio-class guided-missile submarine that is capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawks, had been deployed to the Mideast. This submarine is capable of launching missiles using a Vertical Launch System (VLS), or via torpedo tubes.
Currently, the US maintains around 4,000 Tomahawk missiles, with 3,757 of those belonging to the Block IV/V variants, as of January 2024.
The Role of TLAMs Against Iran
It is believed that the Tomahawk missiles fired by American submarines primarily struck the Isfahan nuclear technology center—which contained minimal or no nuclear material, in the assessment of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which had been monitoring suspected Iranian nuclear weapons development for years.
These missiles were used to complement the Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, which dropped GBU-57 Masisve Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) “bunker-buster” bombs on Fordow and Natanz. The Tomahawks likely softened defenses or targeted above-ground infrastructure at Isfahan. Further, most analysts believe that the Navy launched these 30 or so Tomahawks just before the B-2s entered Iranian airspace, and that the TLAMs hit Isfahan after the bunker-busters deployed by the B-2s hit Fordow and Natanz.
Initial estimates indicated severe damage to Isfahan, though Iranian officials claimed the sites were evacuated, and no significant nuclear material was present. Satellite imagery showed damage to above-ground buildings, but the full extent of damage remains unclear. It is likely, however, that the entire American strike, rather than destroying the targeted facilities, merely damaged them and degraded Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program.
The Tomahawks were launched from submarines to avoid overflying Iranian airspace, reducing the risk of detection or retaliation. Deception tactics, including flying decoy B-2 bombers to the Pacific, further masked the operation, lending to the operation’s tactical success.
America Will Use the Tomahawks Again
America’s Tomahawk cruise missile was developed in the 1970s as part of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was designed for precision strikes against high-value or heavily defended targets, and gained prominence for its successful use during the 1991 Gulf War. These systems have since cut a wide swathe in multiple conflict zones around the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
Many on social media are today arguing that the Trump administration’s claims of B-2 Spirits being used to great effect against Iranian nuclear weapons targets are either exaggerated or outright lies. While unlikely, the fact that the Trump administration backstopped the B-2 mission set with the tried-and-true submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles shows how important both the Tomahawk cruise missile, as well as the Ohio-class guided-missile submarines, are.
Sadly, however, the Navy lacks sufficient numbers of submarines and, given the operational tempo of these boats and their arsenals, along with the limitations of the defense industrial base, the chances of draining these critical stockpiles of weapons are very high.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / e-crow.
