Black Tomahawk Cruise Missile Used For First Time In Strikes On Iran: Know Details About This US Weapon

Tehran: The United States reportedly used a "Black Tomahawk" cruise missile in an attack on Iran for the first time ever, according to military analysts and recent footage released by the US Navy.

What's in the video?

The US on Saturday deployed a wide range of weaponry against targets in Iran, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters, and for the first time in combat conditions, low-cost kamikaze strike drones modeled on Iranian designs, according to media reports.

The video shows a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer launching missiles, but analysts noticed a dark-colored Tomahawk variant that has not been seen in combat before.

The videos circulating online confirms that the US Navy carried out cruise missile strikes against targets inside Iran, with local residents capturing footage of missiles identified as Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.

What is Black Tomahawk?

The Black Tomahawk is essentially a variant of the standard Tomahawk cruise missile, which is usually painted in shades of gray. 

The Tomahawk, which is about half the length of a standard telephone pole, flies at the speed of a commercial airliner and can carry a 1,000-pound warhead about the distance from Washington, D.C., to Miami.

The missile is fired from destroyers or submarines positioned hundreds of miles away.

The precision guided missile can strike targets from about 1000 miles or 1600 kilometers away.

According to analysts, the missile's long range, reliability and relatively low risk to the US personnel make it an attractive first-strike. 

As per analyst, the black paint and special coatings may help reduce detection by radar and infrared sensors, making the missile harder to detect during flight. 

Other features possibly include a reduced radar cross-section and design tweaks aimed at improving performance against defended targets.

This new coating would appear to be part of the upgrades likely included on the latest Maritime Strike Tomahawk, otherwise known as the MST, which has a long-range anti-ship function.

The Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) is a subvariant of the latest Block V variant of the Tactical Tomahawk (TACOM), and is also known as the Block Va.

What are other weapons used by US?

The US in the attack also used Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits, which convert conventional bombs into GPS-guided precision weapons. These allow aircraft to hit targets accurately even in poor weather conditions.

Another weapon used by the US during the conflict was the GBU-28 bunker-buster bomb, a 5,000-pound laser-guided penetrator designed to destroy underground bunkers and reinforced nuclear facilities. Its hardened casing allows it to break through concrete before detonating.

What did US say?

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has also released photos showing Tomahawk missiles and fighter aircraft involved in the attack.

"CENTCOM's Task Force Scorpion Strike - for the first time in history - is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury. These low-cost drones, modeled after Iran's Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution," wrote in a post on X.