tomahawk cruise missile truck

First Marine Corps Tomahawk Cruise Missile Unit Has Stood Up

The Marine Corps is aiming to have a fully operational battalion armed with ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles by 2030.

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The U.S. Marine Corps has formally activated its first unit that will be equipped with ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles . The Marines are currently in the process of determining exactly how this unit will be equipped and employed, but the service expects to have a fully operational Tomahawk-armed battalion before the end of the decade.

Cathy Close, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps' Combat Development and Integration (CD&I) Command, confirmed that this unit stood up earlier this year and provided additional details about it to The War Zone . The initial Long Range Missile (LMSL) battery is officially designated as Battery A, 11th Marine Regiment, and is currently based at Camp Pendleton in California .

Currently, "the first LMSL battery... is working to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with the employment of this unique capability," according to Close. "We expect the [LMSL] battalion to reach full operational capability no later than fiscal year 2030."

Close also explained that the LMSL battalion will have three LMSL batteries, in total. Each of those batteries will have an unspecified number of launchers and other systems.

At present, the Marine Corps expects the LMSL battery's main weapon system to be a version of the same uncrewed 4x4 vehicle the service is also acquiring as a launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). This vehicle, called the Remotely Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary-Fires (ROGUE-Fires), is derived from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).

Pairing ROGUE-Fires with Tomahawk could present challenges just due to the size of the missile. The overall length of a Tomahawk, including the rocket booster that helps launch it, is roughly 20 feet. The NSM with its booster is 13 feet long and already appears to present a significant burden for the ROGUE-Fires vehicle.

"The proof-of-concept [Tomahawk] system would mount the missile launcher on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle chassis, a setup that already had a tip-over incident due to the center of gravity being off," Defense News reported earlier this week.

The Marine Corps, "in cooperation with the Strategic Capabilities Office and the Navy" has conducted at least one test of ground-launched "Tomahawk Land Attack Missile mounted on a remotely operated mobile launcher," according to a document the service released in May 2022.

The Marine Corps has been actively working toward establishing a ground-based Tomahawk capability since 2020. In addition to the Navy and the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), an office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, it has been cooperating with U.S. Army in this pursuit.

The Army is acquiring significantly larger trailer-mounted launch systems called Typhon , derived from the naval Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), for this purpose, which will also be able to fire other missiles like the SM-6 .

The Navy also demonstrated a tractor-trailer-based system using a containerized Mk 41-based setup called the Mk 70 Mod 1 Expeditionary Launcher, or a further variant thereof, in Europe last year. That test focused on the system's ability to fire SM-6 missiles, but it could conceivably be configured to launch Tomahawks, as well.

"We are not aware of any Marines that were directly involved with the truck-mounted system demonstrated in Europe, [but] we are familiar with that weapon system," Close, the spokesman for CD&I, told The War Zone . We "have worked very closely with the Navy and the Army in the development of the LMSL capability, and all three Services share common fire control, missile launcher canisters, and missiles."

Lockheed Martin, which makes the Mk 41 VLS and is the company behind Typhon and the Mk 70 Mod 1, has said in the past the Army system, at least, makes use of a fire control architecture based on its Virtualized Aegis Weapon System. Virtualized Aegis is a modular and scalable version of the famous Aegis Combat System used on Navy Ticonderoga class cruisers and Arleigh Burke class destroyers , among other warships. You can read more about Aegis and its "virtualized" derivative in this past War Zone feature .

Pairing a version of Aegis with the launcher in Marine LMSL batteries would make good sense as it would provide a well-established fire control system that is already designed to tap into various off-board sources of targeting information these units would rely on. On top of that, all the branches of the U.S. military are presently engaged in projects to further expand their networking capabilities, including to help improve the sharing of targeting data, under the umbrella of the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative.

Exactly how LMSL units will slot into the Marine Corps' overall future long-range strike ecosystem is of course among the questions personnel assigned to Battery A, 11th Marines, are undoubtedly looking to answer now. We do know that the service is currently planning for the initial LMSL battalion to be utilized at a very high echelon of command and primarily against strategic-level targets.

"An LMSL battery will provide Joint or Naval Task Forces with long-range cruise missile fires from mobile and dispersed units and will be deployed in response to national tasking as strategic fires in support of Geographic Combatant Commanders or their designated subordinate headquarters," spokesperson Cathy Close explained.

In U.S. military parlance, Geographic Combatant Command refers to the seven headquarters entities responsible for overseeing operations around the world, as well as in space.

It is worth noting here that Marine Tomahawk units have long been expected to be armed with Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) variants, which are optimized for use against enemy ships, including ones that are moving. Of course, MSTs can still be used against targets on land and any Marine launchers capable of firing them would also be able to employ the latest generation of dedicated land-attack versions.

That being said, a strategic-level anti-ship capability could be focused on conducting very long-range strikes against major enemy surface action groups, including carrier strike groups, during a future high-end conflict. The ability to readily neutralize enemy carriers is not something the U.S. military, as a whole, has really had to worry about since the end of World War Two. However, China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is steadily expanding the size and scope of its own carrier fleets , which could easily be a factor in any future high-end conflict between the two countries.

More broadly, Marine LMSL units, coupled with expanding sensor network, would give regional commanders an additional tool to hold a wide variety of targets at sea and on land at risk anywhere within a bubble extending out 1,000 miles or more in all directions from wherever the launchers might be deployed. Positioning the launchers in forward areas would only increase that reach. There could also, of course, be limiting factors, including suitable deployment locations. For instance, there has been much discussion in recent years about the potential lack of places for the U.S. military, as a whole, to station long-range missile systems in the Pacific.

The Marine Corps has presented the acquisition of new long-range strike capabilities as central to the service's major restructuring and modernization plans, known as Force Design 2030. Tomahawk is just one part of the service's plans in this regard, which will also include ground-launched NSMs and swarms of long-range loitering munitions . It may eventually include other strategic-level weapon systems, like the ground-based OpFires Hypersonic missile .

Whether or not LMSL units specifically will be able to employ other weapons in the future is an open question. "It is possible, with significant additional investment, that the LMSL launchers, fire control, missile handling systems, and crew training could be modified to employ other missile systems," CD&I spokesperson Cathy Close told The War Zone .

Whatever the case, the activation of Battery A, 11th Marines is yet another tangible step the Corps has taken toward establishing its future ground-based Tomahawk capability.

Contact the author: [email protected]

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By Straight Arrow News

In July, the U.S. Marine Corps activated its first-ever Tomahawk cruise missile battery. While Tomahawks are primarily used by the Navy , this land-based configuration, launched from 4×4 trucks , offers several advantages over its ship-based counterparts. These advantages include striking moving targets at a range of 1,000 miles and higher effectiveness at a lower cost.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan breaks down the significance of the land-based Tomahawk, explaining why it represents the most important military evolution he has witnessed in the U.S. military over the past four decades. Excerpted from Peter’s Aug. 28 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter: Suppose we were taking bets on what’s going to do in China. We’d probably hear about the usual suspects: Advanced stages of demographic collapse, failing economic models, or being the country most dependent on open sea lanes and international markets.

All of those are top contenders, but let me throw in a wild card – a bunch of marines in trucks – with four Tomahawks strapped to each truck. I agree if that sounds like a random G.I. Joe creation to you. But this is a relatively new capability for the US, so let me explain how we got here.

Back in the day, the Soviets and the US signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. This kept both sides from developing weapon systems like the one above. If it wasn’t obvious, the Russians have backed away from said treaty.

The lesson here is that if you want to get out of a treaty with the US, that’s fine; just remember that the Americans will also be ditching those restrictions…and the US military has more money, better tech, and will get there faster than you.

And if I was a gambling man, well…

Hey everybody, Peter Zion here coming to you from Colorado. And today we’re gonna talk about another way that China might die. And some other things. Now, for those of you who are familiar with my position on China, no surprise, demographics are in advanced stages of collapse. We’re looking at the final decade of any economic model that humans have ever invented, being able to work in a system where they’re simply running out of people. That’s before you consider that China is the country most dependent upon the US Navy to keep the sea lanes open. And it’s completely dependent on imported raw materials from a world away, and markets for their products that are also a world away. So there’s nothing about the system is stable. But I’m talking about a much sharper, shorter end. I have never been shy about my respect for the US Navy and its ability to shut down and destroy the Chinese system in a very short period of time measured in days to weeks, simply because the Chinese don’t have reach or range. There are other countries that fall into that general category. A Japan has a Bluewater fleet with more range than China, allowing the Japanese to shut down the Chinese system with gotten anywhere close to them. India sits astride all of the trade lanes between Europe and Asia and the Persian Gulf and Asia so they can easily shut off the energy connection. And with the new security deal between the Americans, the Brits and the Australians, the Australians now have mid range cruise missiles air launched, that can shut down the Strait of Malacca, so the Australians can do it too. But things have changed now to that even a small group of Marines out of the United States can do it. Now. The brains are some terrifying, folks, you definitely don’t want them to be on the other side. But one of the things I love about them is because they don’t have their own independent research budget to develop ships or tanks or planes or whatever that they tend to use hand me down from the other services. And then they innovate and do a little bit of a redesign and repurposing and find fundamentally new ways to use the technology. And basically, what seems to have happened in Washington is some high up in the military said, you know, we’ve seen what the Marines can do with a rifle or a tanker ship. Let’s see what they can do with a Tomahawk missile. Now, a Tomahawk missile is a typically sea launched cruise missile, either from a surface ship or from a submarine that has a range of about 1000 miles. As GPS guided with 1000 pound conventional bomb, they made their first big splashy debut in the wars in Iraq. And the early part of No, not the early part of it, but in the 1990s. Sorry, last decade there and have proven to be a reliable tool ever since because, you know, you put them on a ship, ship goes wherever it wants to. And then it has 1000 mile range. And then it hits within a couple of meters of what it’s aiming at. You know, it’s just phenomenal accuracy. Well, the Marines have figured out how to put it on a truck. And the first battery, it’s a truck that carries for these things, was commissioned just in the last week. And it typically is followed by a quad of additional trucks that have for each. So basically, batteries have 420 missiles total per unit. So now, all the Marines have to do is get dropped off somewhere with summer roads, and they’ve got 20 bucks, they can use to attack whatever they want, anywhere, on sea, on land, whatever. It is, arguably the single most important military L of evolution that I have seen in the US military in the last 40 years. I mean, super tankers are cool, don’t get me wrong. The new F 35 is an impressive piece of hardware. But allowing a few dozen dudes to have five trucks and shut down an international waterway or hit hardened facilities hundreds of miles away. That is a fundamentally new piece of versatility in the American military arsenal. And it is of course, like everyone in the Marines will tell you whenever we come up with a good idea, the army steals it and produces it at scale. And the Army has already started doing that. So we’re going to take one of the more longer reach weapon systems that the Americans have and basically apply it in mass across the services. Now, if you’re looking for someone to blame for this, blame the Russians. The United States has specifically refrained from doing this because of something called the intermediate missile Forces Treaty, which was signed with the Soviets back in the 80s. And it basically said that the United States and the Russians would refrain from developing land based intermediate range missiles as part of confidence building but over the last 15 years, the Russian is a bit by bit backed away from that treaty before basically abrogating devel together a few years ago, and that freed the United States to follow in their footsteps. Here’s a thing though, when this first one down, everyone was talking about the weakness of the United States that we had specifically hobbled ourselves in a specific technology, which was true. The Russians research budget is less than 1%, the size of the US, and the Russians going into this didn’t have a very good intermediate missile technology force in the first place. And as we’ve seen in the Ukraine war, it’s not performing to snuff. The Chinese, of course, were not bound by this treaty. And so they were researching a lot of things, things in this area. But now here we are less than five years later. And the United States is in the process of mass expanding a well known, well functioning, very high performing weapons system in mass across the Marines first, and then the army. This isn’t a contest, folks. And we’ve already demonstrated that we can produce these things at scale. And now we’re deploying them at scale, too. So I guess the lesson here is if you want to get out of a restriction that the Americans have put you into via treaty, just keep in mind that the Americans will also be removing those restrictions from themselves. They have a larger military, they’ve got more money, they’ve got more technology, and ultimately, they can research and implement solutions faster than anyone else. And so we have all right, that’s it. Take care.

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This Is Not Your Father’s Tomahawk Cruise Missile

The new Block V can run down enemy ships and blast them with a half-ton high explosive warhead.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?

• The new missiles can attack enemy ships at sea or land targets with a new multi-effect warhead.
• The Tomahawk design is nearly half a century old but with the help of rolling upgrades has remained a viable weapon system.

The Tomahawk cruise missile, one of the oldest missiles in U.S. military service, is set to receive a new set of capabilities designed to help keep potential enemies in check.

➡ You love badass military tech. So do we. Let's nerd out over it together.

The missile’s new Block V configuration will include both new anti-shipping and land attack variants, boosting the capabilities of the U.S. Navy surface warships that carry them.

The Tomahawk is one of the most effective missiles in the Pentagon’s history. The missile, which General Dynamics first designed in the 1970s, was one of the first truly effective cruise missiles. Unlike traditional missiles that use rocket motors, fly high altitudes, and travel at Mach 2+ speeds, cruise missiles use turbojet engines, fly at low altitudes, and travel at subsonic speeds.

Most missiles are designed to sprint to their targets; Tomahawk is designed to run a marathon. Engineers chose a liquid fuel-sipping turbojet engine because it enabled greater range than a rocket engine of roughly the same size. A slower speed also makes low altitude flight more viable, which in turn makes the missile much more difficult to detect by radar. Today, most advanced countries operate similar low-flying subsonic missiles, including Russia, China, France, and South Korea.

Despite its age, the Tomahawk has stayed in the game through a series of progressive upgrades. The original Block I version included both nuclear-tipped and anti-ship versions of the missile. Block II introduced land attack capabilities, like those demonstrated during the 1991 Gulf War, with missiles striking Iraqi Air Force airfields and daytime targets across the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Block III added GPS, eliminating a time-consuming programming system that required 80 hours to plot a missile’s course as well as a loitering capability.

Block IV Tomahawks added more features, including the ability to be re-routed to new targets in mid-flight. Block IV missiles also feature a camera and datalink, allowing a missile to send imagery back to friendly forces. If a Tomahawk discovers its target already struck or civilians are crowding the target area, the missile can be re-routed to destroy something else.

Now, Block V is where it gets really interesting.

The newest variant adds upgraded navigation and communications gear to older Tomahawks, electronics that, according to Defense News , make it easier to work through electronic warfare jamming and more difficult for enemy radars to detect. That’s important, because once detected, subsonic cruise missiles are relatively easy to shoot down. Block V then forks into two missiles, Block Va and Block Vb.

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Block Va essentially turns the cruise missile into an anti-ship missile. Also known as Maritime Strike Tomahawk, Block Va adds a seeker kit, including sensor, giving it the ability to strike moving targets at sea at ranges in excess of 1,000 miles. It’s not clear if Block Va can still strike land targets.

Block Vb is more oriented toward striking land targets with the new Joint Multiple Effects Warhead (MEWS). The weapon is a bit mysterious, but it seems to be a 1,000-pound warhead capable of striking both surface and underground hardened targets, including “integrated air defense systems and weapons of mass destruction” .

The great thing about Block V is that, unlike the Navy’s current anti-ship missile, it doesn’t need separate launchers. Block Vs will fit in any Mk. 41 vertical launch system silo—the same silo that currently carries Standard anti-air missiles, the SM-3 missile interceptor, Evolved Sea Sparrow interceptor missiles, and vertical launch anti-submarine rockets.

Today’s guided missile cruisers carry 122 silos, while destroyers carry between 90 and 96 silos. Theoretically, a cruiser could carry up to 122 Block Va missiles, though a more rounded mix of all of the above is preferred. Block V will also arm U.S. Navy submarines.

Like a lot of weapons in America’s arsenal, the Tomahawk missile is old—at least in concept. What started out as a nuclear-capable missile can now hunt down warships at 1,000 miles and attack hardened underground targets. The missile’s ability to adapt with the times, take on new roles, and reinvent itself means it will be a potent weapon system for easily another decade to come.

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Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News , and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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Japanese sailors begin Tomahawk training ahead of missile delivery

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force officers train on Tomahawk cruise missiles aboard the USS McCampbell at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on March 28, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — U.S. sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell coached their Japanese counterparts Thursday as Japan prepares to receive its first shipments of Tomahawk cruise missiles sometime next year.

Around 25 Japanese sailors and airmen in the five-day program that ends Friday are the first round of students to learn the inner workings of the Tomahawks and their control systems. The training at Yokosuka, homeport of the 7th Fleet, is one milestone before the U.S. begins delivering the 400 Tomahawk missiles promised to Japan as part of a $2.35 billion deal.

“When the Tomahawks are delivered, we don’t start the training then,” U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel told reporters aboard the McCampbell on Thursday. “We’re ahead of schedule because the delivery is going to be ahead of schedule.”

This week’s training is the first round, with additional rounds scheduled every two months, Emanuel said. Training will also likely continue after the missiles are delivered, he said.

“I expect the Japanese navy to do what our Navy officers do all the time, which is to be constantly training and upgrading skills,” he said the news conference.

Japan in 2022 announced plans to buy as many as 500 Tomahawks with delivery in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, center, discusses Tomahawk training with U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel aboard the USS McCampbell at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on March 28, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

U.S Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, right, and Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, U.S. 7th Fleet commander, discuss with reporters the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force training with Tomahawk missiles aboard the USS McCampbell at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on March 28, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

In October, the country’s Defense Ministry expressed a desire to fast-track the purchase. The Pentagon on Nov. 17 agreed to the deal, which includes 400 cruise missiles, 14 weapons systems, software, technical support and associated equipment. The first deliveries are expected sometime in fiscal 2025.

The purchase is part of a massive investment Japan has made into its defense. Japan’s Cabinet in December approved its largest-ever defense budget, which amounts to 7.95 trillion yen, or about $55.9 billion.

That investment, Emanuel said, is “100% in weapons and equipment” and is not an investment in more personnel or an attempt to increase the size of the Japan Self-Defense Force.

Emanuel said he is focused on completing the impending deliveries and could not comment on possible further sales.

“Before we even talk about more, we have a responsibility to get the first 400 and we’re on schedule to do that,” he said.

On Thursday, Japanese sailors and airmen worked studiously with U.S. sailors from the Surface Combat Systems Training Command Western Pacific in the McCampbell’s combat information center, the tactical heart of the ship. There, they participated in a simulated missile strike mission, according to Cmdr. Mike Arnold, the training command officer in charge.

“This was the cruise missile commander’s course,” Arnold told Stars and Stripes on Thursday on the McCampbell. The training, he added, covered overall capabilities of the missile, how to deal with casualties, tactics and how to “manipulate and execute the weapons system itself.”

Personnel from another six or seven commands were also in the training, according to Capt. Justin Harts, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15.

“It gets to be sort of an alphabet soup of commands that are involved in any one of these operations,” he said. “And then there’s a whole host of commands in the States where the Japanese sailors are going to learn their individual jobs.”

The training is successfully increasing Japanese personnel’s capabilities with the missile and doing so “ensures a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region,” Cmdr. Yuhi Iwamori, spokesman for Japan’s Maritime Staff Office, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

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Everything To Know About Tomahawk Missiles: Speed, Cost, And Destructive Power

Tomahawk missiles have been world famous since the first Gulf War in 1991 when the United States used the missile against Saddam Hussein's forces in Iraq and Kuwait. Since then, the missile system has been used in nearly every conflict the United States has been involved in, including recent strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Given the weapon's ubiquity, it's worth exploring what exactly a Tomahawk missile is. The United States Navy reports that over 2,300 Tomahawks have been deployed in combat, with that number increasing by the day.

According to the Missile Defense Project from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Tomahawk (full name Tomahawk Land Attack Missile) has been in service since 1983 and were first developed for the United States Navy starting in 1972. It was designed to be launched from ships or submarines and was, from the outset, made with nuclear payloads in mind. However, nuclear-armed Tomahawks have not been used in combat and are currently deactivated.

Slow and steady

The Tomahawk missile itself is a 20.3 foot long craft with a wingspan of eight and a half feet, and it weighs 3,330 pounds with all of its components. It's powered by both a rocket booster and turbofan jet engine made by Williams International. According to PBS, the rocket booster engine launches the Tomahawk in the air (hence all the smoke you may see in news broadcasts or photos you see of the missile) and then its jet engine takes the missile the rest of the way to its target.

Despite being powered by rockets and a jet engine, the Tomahawk missile itself isn't that fast, at least comparatively. It reportedly travels at a speed of around 550 miles per hour. An F-16 fighter jet tops out at 1,500 miles per hour and the much larger Minuteman III ballistic missile can reach speeds of up to 15,000 miles per hour. Supposedly, the Tomahawk's relatively low speed helps it avoid radar systems more efficiently. Additionally, it flies at an altitude of between 100 and 300 feet, much lower than conventional fighter aircraft.

Range and power

The actual payload of the Tomahawk can consist of a number of different munitions. But the primary warhead of the Tomahawk is a 1,000-pound high explosive charge. It can also carry cluster munitions consisting of small bomblets, similar to the ATACMS currently used in Ukraine . For explosive force, Tomahawks were more than enough to disable runways or sink ships.

The exact guidance system and navigational dynamics of the Tomahawk missile are classified. However, it is known that it can use GPS or inertial guidance systems to hit the target. Additionally, the U.S. Navy states that up to 15 targets can be pre-programmed for missile salvos. The Tomahawk is capable of "loitering," meaning that, provided the missile has enough fuel, it can fly around in circles to relay information or wait for the right target. It has a range of around 1,500 miles, meaning that the ship or submarine launching the missile is well out of harm's way. It is accurate to within 10 meters.

The Tomahawk's combat history

The Tomahawk is primarily made by Raytheon Missile Systems. According to budget data from the United States Marine Corps from 2022, each Tomahawk costs around $2 million. As of now, the United States and the United Kingdom are the only countries to deploy Tomahawk missiles, although Australia and Japan have put out bids to purchase Tomahawks.

The U.S. Navy states that 140 total craft are capable of launching Tomahawks. That number consists of Ohio-class submarines, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and more. The United States Army has also tested launching Tomahawks from ground-based platforms. The USS Missouri, a World War II-era battleship and the very last of its kind, was fitted to fire Tomahawks during the opening salvos of the First Gulf War. It fired a total of 28 cruise missiles, in addition to its 16-inch deck guns.

The submarines USS Louisville and USS Pittsburgh launched Tomahawks in 1991 at targets in Iraq and became the first submarines to fire Tomahawks while submerged.

Several decades of service

Outside of the Gulf War, Tomahawks were used to attack Iraq several more times in the 1990s, against Bosnian targets in 1995, during NATO actions against Yugoslavia, and during the engagements against Afghanistan after 9/11. More recently, Tomahawks saw use in Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn, ISIS in Syria experienced the effects of Tomahawks, and Syrian chemical weapons facilities used by despot Bashar Al-Assad were struck by Tomahawks in 2017. In 2024, both American and British forces launched Tomahawks against Houthi rebels after the rebel group attacked shipping lanes and US-flagged vessels in the Red Sea.

Raytheon reports that the Tomahawk missile could stay in service until at least 2035. By that time, the cruise missile will have eclipsed 50 years of service. With its long range, ability to be launched practically anywhere in the world from above or below the waves, and its accuracy, the Tomahawk has proved literally thousands of times that it is a vital part of the arsenals of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy.

Friday, April 5, 2024

Official Publication of the Navy League of the United States

Navy Orders Tomahawk Cruise Missiles for Marine Corps, Army 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy put in another order for Tomahawk cruise missiles May 24, but this order also includes, for the first time, Tomahawks for the Marine Corps and Army.  

Raytheon Missiles and Defense, of Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $217.1 million fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price contract for 154 full-rate production Block V Tactical Tomahawk All-Up Round Vertical Launch System missiles, including 70 for the Navy, 54 for the Marine Corps, and 30 for the Army, the Defense Department said May 24. The full-rate production Lot 18 missiles are scheduled to be delivered by 2025. 

“This is a major accomplishment for the program as we move forward into a new era for the Tomahawk Missile System,” said Capt. John Red, Tomahawk Weapons System program manager (PMA-280), said in a May 24 release from the Naval Air Systems Command. “We look forward to delivering this capability not only to the fleet, but to our Marines and Soldiers around the globe.” 

The Lot 18 missiles will be of the Block V configuration, which has the capability for inflight course guidance and target location updates.  

“Future Block V capabilities will include the Maritime Strike Tomahawk variant and the Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System,” the release said.  

The Marine Corps is developing and fielding a ground-based Tomahawk launcher, which will be operated by ground units in support of Expeditionary Advance Base Operations.  

The Navy’s Tomahawk program office “worked closely with the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to execute the contract in an effort to deliver the missiles on an accelerated schedule,” the Navy said. “The Army is leveraging PMA-280’s ongoing modernization efforts, investment strategies, and joint test events for its Mid-Range Capability program, a system that is on track to be delivered to its first Army unit in FY23.” 

The same day, according to the Defense Department, Raytheon was awarded a $22.6 million contract modification that “provides for the production of the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Launcher Unit (NLU) and Weapon Control System (WCS) Production Representative Models. NMESIS is a land-based missile launcher platform that provides the Fleet Marine Force with an anti-ship capability. NMESIS integrates an NLU, capable of launching two NSMs, onto a remotely operated ground unit for Expeditionary Fires carrier. The NLU is controlled by the WCS located externally in a command-and-control vehicle.”  

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An earthquake with a preliminary 4.8 magnitude rattles the Northeastern U.S., USGS says

The u.s. finally sold 400 tomahawk missiles to japan. here's why..

Tokyo is rolling back restrictions on its armed forces with a newly announced procurement of Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles that it hopes will give the island nation a counter-strike capability, should it be assailed by China or North Korea’s large nearby arsenals of land-based missiles. This is part of a recent large increase in Japanese defense spending , which has manifested in forthcoming platforms including new aircraft carriers and domestic stealth fighters .

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans to purchase 400 Tomahawks on Monday. This capability would become operational by 2026-2027. Already, Japan had set aside 211.3 billion yen ($1.55 billion USD) to got to such a purchase, which will proceed via the U.S.’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. A 2019 U.S. order of Tomhawks, also known as TLAMS, averaged a price of $1.35 million per missile, but there will surely be ‘overhead’ training and equipment costs involved in introducing the missile into Japanese service.

That’s only part of the $37 billion Tokyo plans to spend by 2026 on standoff-range counter-strike weapons. The Tomahawks are effectively a stop gap until a forthcoming new surface-attack version of the indigenous Type 12 anti-ship missiles with range extended 750-900 miles enters service. This Type 12 Kai missile would have wider wings, allowing it to fly higher and thereby maximize range, while sporting a reduced radar cross-section to reduce losses to air defenses.

At least 2,1913 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired in combat since entering service in 1983. Powered by an F107 turbofan engine, the latest Block IV and V models have a range exceeding 1,000 miles, and can blast targets with a massive half-ton of explosives. Former nuclear-armed BGM-109A and BGM-109 Tomahawks have been retired, however.

Using a combination of inertial navigation and terrain contour-mapping, a TLAM can land within 10 meters of a designated target, or .1 meter if assisted with GPS. These weapons approach their targets at a maximum speed of 567 miles per hour, usually skimming at an altitude of only 100-165 feet to delay visibility on radar.

While the Tomahawk isn’t as stealthy or fast as some modern successors, it’s been heavily improved over the years. The Block IV model can now transmit video imagery while traveling to target, perform maneuvers to evade defenses while in transit, loiter overhead waiting for a signal to attack, and can be retargeted or instructed to abort the attack midflight—options that might reassure Japanese officials.

The latest Block V model re-introduces anti-ship capability in a subvariant called the Block Va Maritime Strike Tomahawk, integrating a radar seeker that enables it to home in on moving ships. There’s also a Block Vb with an advanced JMEWS warhead capable of bunker-busting penetrating strikes on underground missile silos and WMD facilities.

So far, the United Kingdom has been the Tomahawk’s only foreign operator, employing them from Royal Navy submarines. However, Canadian CSC frigates and Australian Hobart -class destroyers are also planned to eventually deploy these long-range land attack weapons.

Tokyo’s inquiries on purchasing Tomahawks back in 2013 were initially coolly received due to fears of aggravating China. However, given worsened US-China military tensions—particularly over Taiwan, which Japan also seeks to aid—and reinvigorated U.S. Japanese security ties, the Biden administration was much warmer to the idea while negotiating the Tomahawk sale in the fall of 2022.

One question remains the choice of launch platform, as air-, sea-, submarine- and land-based options reportedly were considered. The cheapest option would be land-based trucks, but warships and aircraft would effectively expand the range and possible approach vectors of Japan’s Tomahawks. Presently, reports suggest they’ll begin deployment on Japan’s powerful destroyers, which already come with the same Mark 41 Vertical Launch Systems used by U.S. Navy ships to launch Tomahawks and many other types of missiles.

Japan’s military also is reportedly planning to build a ‘test boat’ to study equipping Japanese submarines to fire Tomahawks. Unless Japan builds a new class of cruise missile submarines with vertical launch cells, these would have to be launched horizontally from torpedo tubes, permitting only a low-volume attack. Still, stealthy submarines can launch attacks from unexpected directions, confounding air defenses.

Offense: the best form of defense?

Post-World War II, Japan’s armed forces have been legally forbidden from using force outside of self-defense of Japanese soil, even in event of an attack on nearby allies. It has thus avoided procurement of weapons systems like aircraft carriers deemed to have mostly offensive missions. However, increasing tensions with North Korea and China’s rapidly improving military have complicated Japan’s self defense stance.

Both China and North Korea possess large arsenals of land-based ballistic missiles (and cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles) that would could be unleashed to destructive effect against Japan in event of a high-intensity conflict. Notably, should the U.S. come into conflict with North Korea or China, Japanese airbases hosting U.S. military aircraft would probably come under attack—a scenario that may cause Tokyo to retaliate militarily.

Despite upgrades to Japanese air defense, including huge warships dedicated to ballistic missile defense using SM-3 missiles , likely some attacks would get through and potentially wreak great destruction. In a recent simulation of an attempted Chinese invasion of Taiwan, missile attacks on Japanese bases destroyed hundreds of American and Japanese combat aircraft on the ground.

In response to this threat, there have been increasing calls in Tokyo to field a “counter-strike capability” that could put China and North Korea’s missile launchers at risk. This is the sort of weapon that Japan has traditionally eschewed, because it means directing attacks on the soil of another country—but it’s hard to adhere to that standard when modern surface-to-surface missiles can inflict so much damage even without resorting to nuclear warheads.

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Australia to buy up to 220 Tomahawk missiles from the US

FILE - In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) fires a Tomahawk land attack missile on April 14, 2018, as part of the military response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons on April 7. Australia said it’s planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Dept. approved the sale Friday, March 17, 2023. (Kallysta Castillo/U.S. Navy via AP, File)

FILE - A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) launches from the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) in operation in the Mediterranean Sea on March 23, 2003. Australia said it’s planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Dept. approved the sale Friday, March 17, 2023. (Intelligence Specialist 1st Kenneth Moll/U.S. Navy via AP, File)

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia said it’s planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Department approved the sale Friday.

The deal comes days after Australia announced it would buy nuclear-powered attack submarines from the U.S. to modernize its fleet amid growing concern about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.

Australian officials said the new nuclear-powered submarines would be able to fire the Tomahawk missiles.

Japan last month also announced plans to upgrade its military in an effort to deter China, including buying 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles for deployment as soon as 2026.

The Australian missile sale comes with a price tag of nearly $900 million. The prime contractor will be Arizona-based Raytheon Missiles and Defense.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States,” the State Department said in a statement. “Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific.”

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said his country would be working closely with the U.S.

“Making sure we have longer-range strike missiles is a really important capability for the country,” Marles told Channel Nine. “It enables us to be able to reach out beyond our shores further, and that’s ultimately how we are able to keep Australia safe.”

Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the missiles could be fired from the Virginia-class submarines Australia would be buying under the so-called AUKUS deal.

“We certainly want the best possible capability for the Australian Defense Force, so that includes the ability to strike opponents as far away as possible from the Australian mainland,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “The cruise missiles are a critical part of that, as are the submarines that launch them.”

The submarine deal has raised concerns that it could clear the way for bad actors to escape nuclear oversight in the future. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, this week pledged to be “very demanding” in overseeing the planned transfer from the U.S. to Australia.

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating this week launched a blistering attack on his nation’s plans, saying that because of the huge cost, “it must be the worst deal in all history.”

Australian officials have estimated the cost of the submarines at between 268 billion and 368 billion Australian dollars ($178-$245 billion) over three decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government had been transparent about the expense.

“The assessment that has to be made is does the purchase, and then us building our own nuclear-powered submarines, increase the capacity for us to defend ourselves by more than 10%? You bet it does,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “That’s why it represents good value.”

Find more AP Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

First Marine Corps Tomahawk Cruise Missile Unit Has Stood Up

T he U.S. Marine Corps has formally activated its first unit that will be equipped with ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles . The Marines are currently in the process of determining exactly how this unit will be equipped and employed, but the service expects to have a fully operational Tomahawk-armed battalion before the end of the decade.

Cathy Close, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps' Combat Development and Integration (CD&I) Command, confirmed that this unit stood up earlier this year and provided additional details about it to The War Zone. The initial Long Range Missile (LMSL) battery is officially designated as Battery A, 11th Marine Regiment, and is currently based at Camp Pendleton in California .

A Tomahawk cruise missile after launch. USN

Currently, "the first LMSL battery... is working to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with the employment of this unique capability," according to Close. "We expect the [LMSL] battalion to reach full operational capability no later than fiscal year 2030."

Close also explained that the LMSL battalion will have three LMSL batteries, in total. Each of those batteries will have an unspecified number of launchers and other systems.

At present, the Marine Corps expects the LMSL battery's main weapon system to be a version of the same uncrewed 4x4 vehicle the service is also acquiring as a launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). This vehicle, called the Remotely Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary-Fires (ROGUE-Fires), is derived from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).

A prototype of the NSM launch system using the ROGUE-Fires vehicle. USMC

Pairing ROGUE-Fires with Tomahawk could present challenges just due to the size of the missile. The overall length of a Tomahawk, including the rocket booster that helps launch it, is roughly 20 feet. The NSM with its booster is 13 feet long and already appears to present a significant burden for the ROGUE-Fires vehicle.

"The proof-of-concept [Tomahawk] system would mount the missile launcher on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle chassis, a setup that already had a tip-over incident due to the center of gravity being off," Defense News reported earlier this week.

The Marine Corps, "in cooperation with the Strategic Capabilities Office and the Navy" has conducted at least one test of ground-launched "Tomahawk Land Attack Missile mounted on a remotely operated mobile launcher," according to a document the service released in May 2022.

The Marine Corps has been actively working toward establishing a ground-based Tomahawk capability since 2020. In addition to the Navy and the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), an office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, it has been cooperating with U.S. Army in this pursuit.

The Army is acquiring significantly larger trailer-mounted launch systems called Typhon , derived from the naval Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), for this purpose, which will also be able to fire other missiles like the SM-6 .

The tractor-trailer-based Typhon launcher for the Army. Lockheed Martin

The Navy also demonstrated a tractor-trailer-based system using a containerized Mk 41-based setup called the Mk 70 Mod 1 Expeditionary Launcher, or a further variant thereof, in Europe last year. That test focused on the system's ability to fire SM-6 missiles, but it could conceivably be configured to launch Tomahawks, as well.

Navy containerized Mk 70 Mod 1 launchers, or another variant of that system, seen during a demonstration in Europe in 2022. USN

"We are not aware of any Marines that were directly involved with the truck-mounted system demonstrated in Europe, [but] we are familiar with that weapon system," Close, the spokesman for CD&I, told The War Zone. We "have worked very closely with the Navy and the Army in the development of the LMSL capability, and all three Services share common fire control, missile launcher canisters, and missiles."

Lockheed Martin, which makes the Mk 41 VLS and is the company behind Typhon and the Mk 70 Mod 1, has said in the past the Army system, at least, makes use of a fire control architecture based on its Virtualized Aegis Weapon System. Virtualized Aegis is a modular and scalable version of the famous Aegis Combat System used on Navy Ticonderoga class cruisers and Arleigh Burke class destroyers , among other warships. You can read more about Aegis and its "virtualized" derivative in this past War Zone feature .

Pairing a version of Aegis with the launcher in Marine LMSL batteries would make good sense as it would provide a well-established fire control system that is already designed to tap into various off-board sources of targeting information these units would rely on. On top of that, all the branches of the U.S. military are presently engaged in projects to further expand their networking capabilities, including to help improve the sharing of targeting data, under the umbrella of the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiative.

Exactly how LMSL units will slot into the Marine Corps overall future long-range strike ecosystem is of course among the questions personnel assigned to Battery A, 11th Marines are undoubtedly looking to answer now. We do know that the service is currently planning for the initial LMSL battalion to be utilized at a very high echelon of command and primarily against strategic-level targets.

"An LMSL battery will provide Joint or Naval Task Forces with long-range cruise missile fires from mobile and dispersed units and will be deployed in response to national tasking as strategic fires in support of Geographic Combatant Commanders or their designated subordinate headquarters," spokesperson Cathy Close explained.

In U.S. military parlance, Geographic Combatant Command refers to the seven headquarters entities responsible for overseeing operations around the world, as well as in space.

A graphic showing the U.S. military's seven current Geographic Combatant Commands (which includes U.S. Space Command) and their regional areas of responsibility. Also included here at left are the four so-called Functional Combatant Commands that provide unified control over certain specific types of forces worldwide. DOD

It is worth noting here that Marine Tomahawk units have long been expected to be armed with Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) variants, which are optimized for use against enemy ships, including ones that are moving. Of course, MSTs can still be used against targets on land and any Marine launchers capable of firing them would also be able to employ the latest generation of dedicated land-attack versions.

That being said, a strategic-level anti-ship capability could be focused on conducting very long-range strikes against major enemy surface action groups, including carrier strike groups, during a future high-end conflict. The ability to readily neutralize enemy carriers is not something the U.S. military, as a whole, has really had to worry about since the end of the Second World War. However, China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is steadily expanding the size and scope of its own carrier fleets , which could easily be a factor in any future high-end conflict between the two countries.

More broadly, Marine LMSL units, coupled with expanding sensor network, would give regional commanders an additional tool to hold a wide variety of targets at sea and on land at risk anywhere within a bubble extending out 1,000 miles or more in all directions from wherever the launchers might be deployed. Positioning the launchers in forward areas would only increase that reach. There could also, of course, be limiting factors, including suitable deployment locations. For instance, there has been much discussion in recent years about the potential lack of places for the U.S. military, as a whole, to station long-range missile systems in the Pacific.

The Marine Corps has presented the acquisition of new long-range strike capabilities as central to the service's major restructuring and modernization plans, known as Force Design 2030. Tomahawk is just one part of the service's plans in this regard, which will also include ground-launched NSMs and swarms of long-range loitering munitions . It may eventually include other strategic-level weapon systems, like the ground-based OpFires Hypersonic missile .

Whether or not LMSL units specifically will be able to employ other weapons in the future is an open question. "It is possible, with significant additional investment, that the LMSL launchers, fire control, missile handling systems, and crew training could be modified to employ other missile systems," CD&I spokesperson Cathy Close told The War Zone.

Whatever the case, the activation of Battery A, 11th Marines is yet another tangible step the Corps has taken toward establishing its future ground-based Tomahawk capability.

Contact the author: [email protected]

U.S. Navy Trains JMSDF Sailors on Tomahawk Cruise Missile

The u.s. navy has completed the first round of a training program for the japan maritime self-defense force (jmsdf) on how to handle u.s.-made long-range tomahawk cruise missiles..

Kosuke Takahashi 02 Apr 2024

Japan plans to acquire the Tomahawk cruise missiles from fiscal year 2025 to 2027.

Around 25 JMSDF sailors went aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell at Yokosuka Naval Base, homeport of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, in the five-day program that started on March 25 and finished on March 29.

“The Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are strengthening its stand-off defense capabilities in order to disrupt and defeat the forces invading Japan early and from far away,” Japan’s Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on March 29.

“As a part of our effort, regarding Tomahawk, the United States Navy has been conducting a training course for JMSDF personnel starting from March 25th. In this course, the U.S. Navy provides expertise required for the operation of Tomahawk missile,” Kihara said, adding that U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel announced the U. S. will continue to conduct such training every other month.

“What does credible deterrence look like? Building Japan’s crucial counterstrike capability with week one of Tomahawk cruise missile training at US Navy Yokosuka. Welcome to a new era in strength, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Emanuel wrote on X on March 28, along with four photos taken with U.S. Navy members.

What does credible deterrence look like? Building Japan’s crucial counterstrike capability with week one of Tomahawk cruise missile training at @USNavy Yokosuka. Welcome to a new era in strength, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. pic.twitter.com/Puy28jM9HX — ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) March 28, 2024

The training program is are the first round of JMSDF personnel to learn the basic procedure for launching a Tomahawk using real equipment from U.S. sailors from the Surface Combat Systems Training Command Western Pacific in the McCampbell ’s combat information center (CIC), the tactical heart of the vessel.

Inside the McCampbell ’s CIC, they participated in a simulated missile strike mission to learn the inner workings of the Tomahawks and their control systems, Stars & Stripes reported on March 28 , citing Cmdr. Mike Arnold, the training command officer in charge.

“In a dimly lit CIC illuminated by blue light, an JMSDF member sat in front of a screen, operated equipment and enthusiastically asked questions to American sailors,” Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper also reported on the training on the same day.

The five-day training followed Japan’s signing of a letter of acceptance (LOA) in January to buy up to 400 Tomahawks from the US to beef up its counterstrike capabilities against enemy missile sites and other targets. This contract was worth about 254 billion yen ($1.7 billion) with the U.S. Government. Asked about the future schedule, Kihara said at the press conference that in addition to the training this time around, based on the LOA concluded in January, the JMSDF will receive training from the U.S. side to train personnel related to more advanced Tomahawk operations in time for the Tomahawk acquisition starting in FY2025.

The Tomahawks will be fitted aboard four classes of JMSDF Aegis-equipped destroyers:

• Kongo-class
• Atago-class

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US navy starts Tomahawk cruise missile training for Japan Self-Defense Forces

The US Navy has begun training for Japan's Self-Defense Forces on how to handle Tomahawk cruise missiles that Japan decided to purchase from the United States.

A five-day initial training session started on Monday, following Japan's signing of a contract early this year to buy up to 400 Tomahawks from the US to beef up its counterstrike capabilities against enemy missile sites and other targets.

On Thursday, some Japanese and US media were allowed to cover the training involving around 20 SDF personnel. It was conducted inside a US Aegis destroyer at anchor in Yokosuka navy base, south of Tokyo.

The US Navy explained that the training on Thursday included learning the basic procedure for launching a Tomahawk using real equipment.

The official said that while the initial training will end on Friday, an advanced Tomahawk training program for the SDF is scheduled to take place in the near future.

US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel inspected the training on Thursday. He said that this is a real scenario-based training. He said it will give the US partner and ally, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the capacity that they are investing in.

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March 27, 2024

Russian offensive campaign assessment, march 27, 2024.

March 27, 2024, 5:10pm ET

Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.

Click here to see ISW’s 3D control of terrain topographic map of Ukraine. Use of a computer (not a mobile device) is strongly recommended for using this data-heavy tool.

Click here to access ISW’s archive of interactive time-lapse maps of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These maps complement the static control-of-terrain map that ISW produces daily by showing a dynamic frontline. ISW will update this time-lapse map archive monthly.

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 2:15pm ET on March 27. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the March 28 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) released its 38th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine on March 26, confirming several of ISW’s longstanding assessments about Russia’s systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in occupied territories and towards Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). [1] The HRMMU report details activities between December 1, 2023 and February 29 2024, and includes new findings about Russia’s abuse of Ukrainian POWs during this timeframe, based on interviews with 60 recently released male POWs. [2] Nearly all of the POWs that HRMMU interviewed detailed how they were tortured by Russian forces with beatings and electric shocks and threatened with execution, and over half of the interviewees experienced sexual violence. HRMMU also reported that it has evidence of Russian forces executing at least 32 POWs in 12 different incidents during the reporting period and independently verified three of the executions. ISW observed open-source evidence of several POW executions during this reporting period: the execution of three Ukrainian POWs near Robotyne, Zaporizhia Oblast on December 27, 2023; the execution of one Ukrainian POW near Klishchiivka, Donetsk Oblast on February 9, 2024; the executions of three Ukrainian POWs near Robotyne, the execution of six Ukrainian POWs near Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, and the executions of two Ukrainian POWs near Vesele, Donetsk Oblast on or around February 18, 2024; and the execution of nine Ukrainian POWs near Ivanivske, Donetsk Oblast, on February 25. [3] The summary execution and mistreatment of POWs is a violation of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. [4] The HRMMU report also details the forced Russification of Ukrainian populations in occupied areas, including the imposition of Russian political, legal, and administrative systems onto occupied Ukraine in violation of Russia’s international legal obligations as an occupying power. [5] ISW has reported at length on the specifics of Russia’s illegal occupation of Ukraine, consistent with the findings of the UN HRMMU report. [6]

Russian officials are tying the US and the West to a broader set of “terrorist” attacks against Russia following the Crocus City Hall attack, likely to intensify rhetoric about alleged Western and Ukrainian threats to generate greater domestic support for the war in Ukraine. The Russian Investigative Committee and Prosecutor General’s Office stated on March 27 that they will consider an appeal from the Russian State Duma to investigate American and Western financing and organization of terrorist attacks against Russia. [7] The Russian Investigative Committee, Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Duma Deputies that made the appeal did not explicitly reference the Crocus City Hall attack. [8] Kremlin officials have previously tied Ukraine and the West to the Crocus City Hall attack but have yet to make a formal accusation, and the Kremlin may refrain from issuing an official accusation as all available evidence continues to show that the Islamic State (IS) is very likely responsible for the attack. [9] Russian officials routinely describe Ukrainian military strikes against legitimate military targets in occupied Ukraine and Russia as terrorism and consistently claim that Western actors help organize these strikes. [10] The Kremlin likely aims to seize on wider Russian social fears and anger following the Crocus City Hall attack by portraying Ukraine, the US, and the West as immediate terrorist threats. The Kremlin likely hopes that perceptions of Ukrainian and Western involvement in the Crocus City Hall attack will increase domestic support for the war in Ukraine, and Russian officials will likely invoke a broader view of what they consider terrorism to further cast Ukrainians as terrorists and the West as a sponsor of terrorism. [11] The Kremlin may still formally accuse Ukraine of conducting the Crocus City Hall attack if it believes that these other informational efforts are insufficient to generate the domestic response it likely desires. [12]

Russian authorities are increasing legal pressure against migrants in Russia following recent Russian officials’ proposals for harsher, measures against migrant communities in response to the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack. BBC News Russian Service stated that there has been a significant increase in the number of cases related to violations of the rules of entry for foreign citizens into Russia following the Crocus City Hall attack. [13] BBC News Russian Service reported on March 27 that 784 such cases have been registered since the morning of March 25, as compared with 1,106 during the entire previous week. A Russian lawyer who often works with Tajik citizens reportedly told BBC News Russian Service that over 100 people waited for a Moscow district court to hear their cases on March 25 alone and that Russian authorities are especially targeting migrants from Tajikistan during searches. BBC News Russian Service reported that representatives of the Tajik diaspora in Russia are expecting Russian authorities to conduct a large wave of deportations following the Crocus City Hall attack. A Russian insider source claimed on March 27 that unspecified actors gave the Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) an “unspoken” order to “not spare” migrants and for MVD employees to use their own judgement in the field. [14] The insider source claimed that a source suggested that Russian authorities are not preparing to conduct raids on migrant communities but will apply the “strictest measures” to migrants in “controversial situations.” Kremlin newswire TASS stated on March 27 that Russian police and Rosgvardia conducted a raid at the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast to check the documents of migrant workers, and Russian opposition outlet Baza reported that Russian authorities detained 21 people during the raid. [15] Several Russian ultranationalist milbloggers complained that the way Russian-language schools in Tajikistan are teaching about Russia’s historical imperial occupation of Tajikistan is discouraging Tajik migrants from integrating into Russian society, essentially blaming migrants for the alienation that Russian society subjects them to. [16] Select Russian officials recently called for the introduction of several anti-migrant policies, which Russian authorities are unlikely to enact given Russia’s reliance on migrants for its force generation and labor needs. [17] Russian authorities may continue the practice of raiding migrant workplaces and increase crackdowns at border crossings to temporarily placate emotional cries for retribution following the March 22 attack as the Kremlin continues to develop a cogent and practical response.

Key Takeaways:

• The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) released its 38th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine on March 26, confirming several of ISW’s longstanding assessments about Russia’s systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in occupied territories and towards Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
• Russian officials are tying the US and the West to a broader set of “terrorist” attacks against Russia following the Crocus City Hall attack, likely to intensify rhetoric about alleged Western and Ukrainian threats to generate greater domestic support for the war in Ukraine.
• Russian authorities are increasing legal pressure against migrants in Russia following recent Russian officials’ proposals for harsher, measures against migrant communities in response to the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack.
• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Avdiivka and southwest of Donetsk City on March 27.
• Russian Storm-Z personnel continue to complain about their poor treatment by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) as the MoD tries to posture efficacy in its force generation and social benefit allocation system.

We do not report in detail on Russian war crimes because these activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting. We will continue to evaluate and report on the effects of these criminal activities on the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian population and specifically on combat in Ukrainian urban areas. We utterly condemn Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports.  

• Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine (comprised of two subordinate main efforts)
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and encircle northern Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis
• Russian Air, Missile, and Drone Campaign
• Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts
• Russian Technological Adaptations
• Activities in Russian-occupied areas
• Ukrainian Defense Industrial Base Efforts

Russian Information Operations and Narratives

• Significant Activity in Belarus

Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast)

Positional engagements continued along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on March 27, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area. Ukrainian and Russian sources stated that positional engagements continued northeast of Kupyansk near Synkivka and Lake Lyman; southeast of Kupyansk near Ivanivka; west of Kreminna near Terny and Yampolivka; and south of Kreminna near Bilohorivka. [18] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced near Terny, but ISW has not observed visual confirmation of this claim. [19] Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov stated that elements of the Chechen Akhmat Spetsnaz “Aida” detachment are operating near Bilohorivka. [20]

Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces struck Kharkiv City with a D-30 universal joint glide munition (UMPB), a guided glide bomb, on March 27. [21] Ukrainian officials noted that the strike was the first Russian glide bomb strike against Kharkiv City since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. [22] Ukrainian Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Synehubov stated that the UMPB D-30 has a range of up to 90 kilometers and that Russian forces can launch the bomb from aircraft or ground-based Smerch multiple rocket launch systems (MLRS). [23] Russian forces struck Myrnohrad, Donetsk Oblast with three UMPB D-30SN guided glide bombs on March 10. [24]

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas)

Russian forces reportedly advanced west of Bakhmut, although there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in the area on March 27. Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced west of Bakhmut along a railway line and a section of the O0506 (Khromove-Chasiv Yar) highway by 1.15 kilometers in depth and 1.85 kilometers in width. [25] A Russian milblogger claimed that elements of the 98th Airborne (VDV) Division are advancing near Ivanivske and are within 500 meters of the city limits of Chasiv Yar (west of Bakhmut). [26] Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu credited elements of the Russian 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (150th Motorized Rifle Division, 8th Combined Arms Army [CAA], Southern Military District [SMD]) with seizing Ivanivske on March 24, although ISW has yet to observe visual evidence confirming that Russian forces have seized Ivanivske. [27] Positional fighting continued northeast of Bakhmut near Vesele; northwest of Bakhmut near Bohdanivka; west of Bakhmut near Ivanivske; southwest of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka and Andriivka; and south of Bakhmut near Shumy and Pivdenne. [28] A Ukrainian military observer reported that Russian forces have intensified transfers of equipment and personnel along ground lines of communication (GLOCs) through Kadiivka, Pervomaisk, and Popasna (all east of Bakhmut), but did not specify the destination of these transfers. [29] Kadiivka, Pervomaisk, and Popasna all lie along the T0504 Luhansk City-Bakhmut highway that runs directly from the Russian rear in occupied Luhansk Oblast into Bakhmut, however.

Russian forces recently advanced west of Avdiivka amid continued positional fighting in the area on March 27. Geolocated footage published on March 27 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced within Berdychi (northwest of Avdiivka) and in Orlivka (west of Avdiivka). [30] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces entered Semenivka (northwest of Avdiivka) and are attacking Ukrainian positions within the settlement but that Ukrainian forces are actively counterattacking in the area. [31] A Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces advanced 200 meters west of Orlivka on the western bank of the Durna River, 200 meters west of Tonenke (west of Avdiivka), 200 meters in the direction of Umanske (west of Avdiivka), 300 meters south of Tonenke towards Pervomaiske (southwest of Avdiivka), and 100 meters south of Nevelske (southwest of Avdiivka). [32] ISW has not observed visual confirmation of these claims. Positional fighting continued northwest of Avdiivka near Berdychi and Semenivka; west of Avdiivka near Orlivka, Tonenke, and Umanske; and southwest of Avdiivka near Vodyane, Nevelske, and Pervomaiske. [33]

Russian forces recently advanced southwest of Donetsk City amid continued positional fighting west and southwest of Donetsk City on March 27. Geolocated footage published on March 27 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced within central Novomykhailivka (southwest of Donetsk City). [34] Positional fighting continued west of Donetsk City near Heorhiivka and Krasnohorivka and southwest of Donetsk City near Novomykhailivka and Pobieda. [35] Elements of the Russian 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] Army Corps [AC]) are reportedly operating near Krasnohorivka. [36]

Positional engagements continued south of Velyka Novosilka near Staromayorske and Urozhaine in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area on March 27. [37]

Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis (Russian objective: Maintain frontline positions and secure rear areas against Ukrainian strikes)

Positional engagements continued in western Zaporizhia Oblast on March 27, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline. Positional engagements continued near Robotyne, near Mala Tokmachka (northeast of Robotyne), northeast of Novoprokopivka (south of Robotyne), and northwest of Verbove (east of Robotyne). [38] Elements of the Russian 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment (42nd Motorized Rifle Division, 58th Combined Arms Army [CAA], Southern Military District [SMD]) reportedly continue operating within Robotyne. [39]

Positional engagements continued in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast, including near Krynky, on March 27. [40]

Russian Air, Missile, and Drone Campaign (Russian Objective: Target Ukrainian military and civilian infrastructure in the rear and on the frontline)

Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of March 26 to 27 and on March 27. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 13 Shahed-136/131 drones from Kursk Oblast and that Ukrainian forces shot down 10 drones over Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kyiv oblasts on the night of March 26 to 27. [41] Ukrainian officials reported that Russian drones struck civilian infrastructure in Izyum, Kharkiv Oblast. [42] Ukrainian Kharkiv Oblast Head Oleh Synehubov stated that a Russian Kh-35U subsonic anti-ship cruise missile struck Kharkiv City on the morning of March 27. [43] Ukraine’s Eastern Air Command reported that Ukrainian forces shot down an unspecified Russian cruise missile over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on March 27. [44] Ukrainian officials stated that Russian forces struck an industrial enterprise in Mykolaiv City with an Iskander-M ballistic missile on the afternoon of March 27. [45]

Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command Spokesperson Colonel Nataliya Humenyuk stated that Russian forces have stored “several dozen” Zircon missiles in military facilities in occupied Crimea. [46] Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Major Ilya Yevlash stated that Ukrainian air defense systems, such as Patriot and SAMP/T systems, can intercept Zircon missiles when they slow down to about 3,700 kilometers per hour on approach to a target. [47]

Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts (Russian objective: Expand combat power without conducting general mobilization)

Russian Storm-Z personnel continue to complain about their poor treatment by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) as the MoD tries to present the efficacy of its force generation and social benefit allocation system. Russian opposition outlet Mobilization News posted a video appeal from Storm-Z fighters from Kaluga Oblast on March 27 wherein one fighter claimed that after signing contracts with the Russian MoD, Russian command sent a Storm-Z unit of 230 people to the frontline, of whom only 38 survived combat. [48] The Storm-Z fighter complained that he has been unable to receive combat veteran status or promised payments from the Russian authorities for his service. [49] Mobilization News released another video on March 27 wherein relatives of killed and wounded Storm-Z fighters complain to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian authorities have not issued the Storm-Z fighters combat status or granted payments in the event of their death or injury in Ukraine. [50] The relatives of the Storm-Z fighters blamed the Russian MoD and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for the poor treatment and lack of benefits for Storm-Z fighters. The Russian MoD relies heavily on Storm-Z recruits from penal colonies to carry out costly infantry-led frontal assaults against Ukrainian positions and is very unlikely to address complaints concerning their poor treatment. The Russian MoD claimed on March 27 that it is issuing electronic combat veteran certificates and streamlining and digitizing the process for veterans to obtain payments and social benefits — but these privileges evidently do not apply evenly to all personnel who have signed contracts with the Russian MoD. [51]

Russian news outlet Vedemosti reported that US-sanctioned Russian company Baikal Electronics is struggling to domestically package semiconductor chips to produce processors and that over half of its domestically produced processors are defective. [52] Vedemosti reported that Baikal Electronics began to experiment with domestically packaging chips in Russia at the end of 2021 and that outdated equipment and a lack of experienced employees caused the large amount of processor defects.

Russian Technological Adaptations (Russian objective: Introduce technological innovations to optimize systems for use in Ukraine)

Russian drone developer Albatross LLC told Kremlin newswire TASS that Russian forces used the Albatross M5 long-range reconnaissance drones to guide aviation and artillery strikes while repelling recent pro-Ukrainian Russian raids into Belgorod Oblast. [53] Albatross LLC noted that the modernized Albatross M5 drone has a maximum range of 60-80 kilometers.

Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti reported that Russian T-72B3, T-72B3M, T-80BVM, and T-90M tanks operating in Ukraine use Reflex-M guided weapon systems with the Invar-M/M1 anti-tank guided missiles to strike Ukrainian and Western-made vehicles. [54]

Ukrainian Defense Industrial Efforts (Ukrainian objective: Develop its defense industrial base to become more self-sufficient in cooperation with US, European, and international partners)

ISW is not publishing coverage of Ukrainian defense industrial efforts today.

Activities in Russian-occupied areas (Russian objective: Consolidate administrative control of annexed areas; forcibly integrate Ukrainian citizens into Russian sociocultural, economic, military, and governance systems)

ISW is not publishing coverage of activities in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine today.

Russian officials are weaponizing international responses to the Crocus City Hall attack to accuse the West of espousing Russophobic policies and to baselessly blame Ukraine of involvement in the attack. Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky claimed on March 27 that while the Austrian government reacted to the Crocus City Hall attack, it did not use the words “terrorist attack” or condemn the attack. [55] Lyubinsky accused Austria of having “taken a very special position in its hypocrisy” and a “daze of permissiveness” towards Ukraine and reiterated the Kremlin narrative baselessly connecting Ukraine to the attack. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova reported that Russia has received 24-hour non-stop words of support from around the globe following the attack, but immediately pivoted to accuse Ukraine of involvement in the attack and blame NATO members of monopolizing the global fight against terror. [56]

Significant activity in Belarus (Russian efforts to increase its military presence in Belarus and further integrate Belarus into Russian-favorable frameworks and Wagner Group activity in Belarus)

Nothing significant to report.

Note: ISW does not receive any classified material from any source, uses only publicly available information, and draws extensively on Russian, Ukrainian, and Western reporting and social media as well as commercially available satellite imagery and other geospatial data as the basis for these reports. References to all sources used are provided in the endnotes of each update.

[1] https://ukraine.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/2024-03-26%20OHCHR%2038th%20Periodic%20Report.pdf

[2] https://ukraine.un.org/en/264368-un-says-russia-continues-torture-execute-ukrainian-pows

[3] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-20-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-18-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-10-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-3-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-20-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-27-2023

[4] https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/geneva-convention-relative-treatment-prisoners-war

[5] https://ukraine.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/2024-03-26%20OHCHR%2038th%20Periodic%20Report.pdf

[6] https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/24-210-01%20ISW%20Occupation%20playbook.pdf

[7] https://t.me/tass_agency/240300 ; https://t.me/astrapress/52521 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/240322

[8] https://ria dot ru/20240327/rassledovanie-1936142056.html ; https://meduza dot io/news/2024/03/27/deputaty-gosdumy-potrebovali-ot-sk-rassledovat-akty-terrorizma-kotorye-ssha-sovmestno-so-stranami-nato-i-spetssluzhbami-ukrainy-osuschestvlyayut-v-rossii

[9] https://isw.pub/UkrWar032324 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar032424 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar032524 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar032624

[10] https://t.me/tass_agency/239253%C2%A0;%C2%A0https://isw.pub/UkrWar020624%C2%A0;%C2%A0https://isw.pub/UkrWar031824%C2%A0 ; https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-calls-ukrainian-attack-belgorod-terrorism-promises-more-strikes-2024-01-01/ ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-23-2024 ; https://isw.pub/RusCampaignOct10

[11] https://isw.pub/UkrWar032324

[12] https://isw.pub/UkrWar032324

[13] https://t.me/bbcrussian/62850

[14] https://t.me/vchkogpu/47045

[15] https://t.me/bazabazon/26432 ; https://t.me/bazabazon/26440 ; https://meduza dot io/news/2024/03/27/politsiya-i-rosgvardiya-priehali-s-reydom-na-sklad-wildberries-v-podmoskovnoy-elektrostali-u-rabotnikov-proveryayut-dokumenty-nekotoryh-uvozyat-v-voenkomat ; https://t.me/tass_agency/240303 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/240290

[16] https://t.me/rybar/58588 ; https://t.me/notes_veterans/16295 ; https://t.me/historiographe/12011 ; https://t.me/voenacher/63252

[17] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-26-2024 ; https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-24-2024

[18] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://t.me/mod_russia/37036 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/19025 ; https://t.me/luhanskaVTSA/17835 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/19025

[19] https://t.me/dva_majors/38313 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8702

[20] https://t.me/RKadyrov_95/4620

[21] https://suspilne dot media/714544-zelenskij-zminiv-sekretara-rnbo-zvit-oon-sodo-stracenih-ukrainskih-polonenih-763-den-vijni-onlajn/?anchor=live_1711553688&utm_source=copylink&utm_medium=ps ; https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/03/27/boyeprypas-yakym-rosiyany-vdaryly-po-harkovu-mozhe-letity-na-vidstan-do-90-km-oleg-synyegubov/

[22] https://suspilne dot media/714544-zelenskij-zminiv-sekretara-rnbo-zvit-oon-sodo-stracenih-ukrainskih-polonenih-763-den-vijni-onlajn/?anchor=live_1711553688&utm_source=copylink&utm_medium=ps; https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/03/27/boyeprypas-yakym-rosiyany-vdaryly-po-harkovu-mozhe-letity-na-vidstan-do-90-km-oleg-synyegubov/

[23] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/03/27/boyeprypas-yakym-rosiyany-vdaryly-po-harkovu-mozhe-letity-na-vidstan-do-90-km-oleg-synyegubov/

[24] https://isw.pub/UkrWar031024

[25] https://t.me/RVvoenkor/64758; https://t.me/basurin_e/10068 ; https://t.me/rusich_army/13845

[26] https://t.me/rusich_army/13845

[27] https://t.me/mod_russia/37029 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-23-2024

[28] https://t.me/mod_russia/37044 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/37051 ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02Lh7wn9dDbMDZcCSUP4kHDoHuABYPPUB5vnfakuyQw21x2MKXQ1fcsLqAgYeuSQVWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8702 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/16170 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/19025 ; https://t.me/rusich_army/13845 ;

[29] https://t.me/samotniyskhid/4868

[30] https://t.me/creamy_caprice/4888; https://t.me/kultshturmovika_ukraine/1773 ; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/4889; https://t.me/c/1595839251/3625; https://x.com/GeoConfirmed/status/1772981767139430744?s=20

[31] https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8702 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/38373 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/16183 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8724 ; https://t.me/rybar/58575

[32] https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8720

[33] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02Lh7wn9dDbMDZcCSUP4kHDoHuABYPPUB5vnfakuyQw21x2MKXQ1fcsLqAgYeuSQVWl ; https://t.me/mod_russia/37044 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/37051 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/38313 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8720 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8702 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/19025 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/55225

[34] https://t.me/tivaz_artillery/3650; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/4893

[35] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02Lh7wn9dDbMDZcCSUP4kHDoHuABYPPUB5vnfakuyQw21x2MKXQ1fcsLqAgYeuSQVWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://t.me/dva_majors/38313 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/19025 ; https://t.me/boris_rozhin/118101 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/55225

[36] https://t.me/boris_rozhin/118105

[37] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://t.me/mod_russia/37044 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/37052 ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02Lh7wn9dDbMDZcCSUP4kHDoHuABYPPUB5vnfakuyQw21x2MKXQ1fcsLqAgYeuSQVWl

[38] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02Lh7wn9dDbMDZcCSUP4kHDoHuABYPPUB5vnfakuyQw21x2MKXQ1fcsLqAgYeuSQVWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://t.me/SJTF_Odes/7591 ; https://t.me/rybar/58575 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/38313 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8715 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/8692 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/19025

[39] https://t.me/batalyon15/4045

[40] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02rxTJAPqhSGh5mqY7C4XDTQiRjiVX25K4Tmx6tT6GCypPhjw8tmKBZAmRa5jaETbGl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02ReTBwNLG8czu42xB89ixKbv1WzZE2LqsgMcXwngSeHHpRjAXoaR3esPk1eCxZiZ8l ; https://t.me/dva_majors/38313

[41] https://t.me/kpszsu/12330

[42] https://t.me/pgo_gov_ua/22717 ; https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/03/27/vijska-rf-atakuvaly-izyum-shahedamy-poshkodzheno-gimnaziyu-poraneno-ohoronczya/ ; https://t.me/synegubov/8827?single

[43] https://t.me/synegubov/8827

[44] https://www.facebook.com/pvkshid/posts/pfbid0LGmUtBDdzmxud8zZ23FDoN8eKarYJkLS6YrsSUzB62HVo7uSrXWhxPxnnzAhuSUyl

[45] https://t.me/mykolaivskaODA/8840 ; https://t.me/dsns_mykolaiv/4948 ; https://t.me/SJTF_Odes/7600

[46] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/03/27/u-sylah-oborony-povidomyly-pro-kilkist-rosijskyh-czyrkoniv-u-krymu/

[47] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/03/27/u-povitryanyh-sylah-povidomyly-pro-sposoby-zbyttya-rosijskyh-czyrkoniv/

[48] https://t.me/mobilizationnews/18111

[49] https://t.me/mobilizationnews/18111

[50] https://t.me/mobilizationnews/18114

[51] https://t.me/mod_russia/37031

[52] https://www.severreal.org/a/bolshe-poloviny-rossiyskih-protsessorov-baykal-okazalis-brakovannymi/32879476.html ; https://www.vedomosti dot ru/technology/articles/2024/03/26/1027924-razrabotchik-protsessorov-baikal-lokalizuet-odin-iz-etapov-proizvodstva

[53] https://t.me/tass_agency/240240 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/240241 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/240268

[54] https://ria dot ru/20240327/rakety-1936068479.html

[55] https://t.me/RusBotWien_RU/4869

[56] https://t.me/MID_Russia/38112

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• LOCATION Ukraine
• LOCATION Russia

Both missiles use nose mounted canard control surfaces to effect a high turn rate at altitudes where air density permits the generation of high control forces. Fakel designers Bolotov and Mizrokhi cite 60G capability at sea level, and 20G at 30,000 metres, the latter using thruster control. This is required to effect a “hit-to-kill” endgame against ballistic and high speed aerial targets.

While the larger 9M96E2 is an almost direct equivalent in size and performance to the ERINT/PAC-3 round, its control arrangement is fundamentally different, both aerodynamically and in thruster arrangement. The 9M96E/E2 radial thruster package is located at the fuselage CoG, to generate a direct force to turn the missile, rather than producing a pitch/yaw moment to use body lift to turn, as is the case in the ERINT/PAC-3 design. The sleeve mounted tail surfaces are mechanically decoupled from the fuselage in roll, to minimise thruster induced rolling moments.

S-400 and Legacy Surface to Air Missile System Hybridisation

Production and exports, further development, s-400 technical data, s-400 battery components, almaz-antey 5p90s/se self propelled transporter erector launcher.

Almaz 5P85SM/SE2 Self Propelled Transporter Erector Launcher

Almaz 5p90tmu towed transporter erector launcher, almaz 5p85tm/te2 towed transporter erector launcher.

Almaz 22T6-2/22T6E2 Transloader

5t58-2 missile transporter.

Almaz 55K6E Command Post

Almaz 92N6E Grave Stone Engagement Radar

NIIIP 91N6E Big Bird Acquisition Radar

LEMZ 96L6-1/96L6E Acquisition Radar

Almaz 1T12 Site Survey Vehicle

S-400 operational deployment, pvo unit 61996 elektrostal' february, 2010.

PVO Unit 61996 Elektrostal' December, 2010

5p85tm/te2 / baz-64022.

92N6E Grave Stone / MZKT-7930