Click here - to select or create a menu
SNA 2023
A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Attack Missiles
As envisioned, hypersonic missiles will be installed on U.S. Navy ships and subs and U.S. Army trailers. Graphic: Lockheed Martin

A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Strike Missiles

The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) has photos that showcase the U.S. Army’s, U.S. Marines’ (USMC), and U.S. Navy’s planned Land-Based Anti-Ship Missiles (LBASM) and their relative container sizes to Humans standing next to them. These USMC and U.S. Navy attack missiles are the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), the Maritime tactical Tomahawk Land Attack (Cruise) Missile (TLAM), the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HiMARS). This story will illustrate how large these missile containers are compared to Humans, vehicle transporters, and to each other.

Peter Ong 29 Jun 2022

Note that all of these U.S. rockets and missiles have been advertised as having Anti-Ship capabilities except for the CPS. 

The Naval Strike Missiles (NSM)

A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Attack Missiles
An artillery Marine from 1st Battalion, 12th Marines maneuvers a Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System launcher across the beach aboard Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Hawaii, Aug. 16, 2021. During Large Scale Exercise 2021, the Marines of 1/12 struck a naval target ship with two Naval Strike Missiles which flew more than 100 nautical miles before striking the ship.  (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Luke Cohen, released)

The Marine Corps’ Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) mounts two Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) on a remote-operated, driven, and NSM launched unmanned Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) 4×4 vehicle.  More information can be found here.  The 900-pound (410 kilogram) NSM (or 910 pounds with booster) can be internally loaded aboard a CH-53 and onto the flatbed of a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) 6×6 truck via a forklift.  Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) photos show that it is possible to push an NSM container on a trolley cart but loading it onto the JLTV will require a frontloader or forklift.

A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Attack Missiles
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, and Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 463 push a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) onto a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, August 25, 2021. The NSM is a long-range, precision strike weapon that is designed to find and destroy enemy ships. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Branden J. Bourque)
A wheeled loader places a Naval Strike Missile onto the bed of a MTVR 6×6 truck. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Branden J. Bourque)

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM)

A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Attack Missiles
Expeditionary air cargo handlers assigned to Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB) 1 secure Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) [spare] canisters on a tractor trailer during Ordnance Exercise (ORDEX) 2013 at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Cheatham Annex. [Author’s Note: The trailer will be the launcher].  (U. S. Navy photo by Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Nelson Doromal/Released)

The USMC is fielding TLAMs on M872 trailers as part of a land-attack capability. With the Maritime Strike Tomahawk’s seeker, this Block 5A programable-in-flight cruise missile can be directed to target moving enemy ships.  High-subsonic speed TLAMs have a range in excess of 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) and can be launched from Navy ships and submarines via Mark 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS). USMC trailers on land will use a derivative of the Mark 41 VLS.  The Mark 41 can also fire Standard missiles for Anti-Air, Anti-Ship, and Anti-Land strike.

The Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) Hypersonic Missile

A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Attack Missiles
The U.S.’s hypersonic missile’s size can be seen compared to the U.S. Army soldiers standing next to the missile container. The Army has the same missile as the Navy, just named differently.

The U.S. Navy’s 0.87-meter Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile is too large to fit inside the Mark 41 and Mark 57 VLS cells.  Currently, there is no indication that the 0.87-meter CPS has an Anti-Ship capability.  Furthermore, unlike the tactical Tomahawk, the U.S. Marines have not disclosed that they will add CPS to their truck fleet for land or sea-based trailer launch.  The CPS hypersonic missile has a range in excess of 1,725 miles (2,776 kilometers) and a speed in excess of Mach 5+.

DARPA’s OpFires may be a candidate for the USMC as a more mobile form of firing hypersonic missiles transported, erected, and launched from a Logistics Vehicle Replacement System (LVSR) 10×10 truck, sans trailer, for much better mobility and to prevent trailer jackknifing, clearing setup, and launch.

Two erected hypersonic missile containers shown to scale next to U.S. Army soldiers. Four hypersonic missiles are intended to replace each 155mm gun on the USS Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers and this photo illustrates the height a CPS will take inside a DDG 1000 hull.  (US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Casey Hustin, 17th Field Artillery Brigade)

High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HiMARS)

Staff Sgt. Jonathon Hoffnauer, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HiMARS) Crew Chief, and Spc. Mario Ybarra, HiMARS Gunner, load a rocket pod onto a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HiMARS) as part of a live fire exercise Aug. 4 at Camp Beuhring, Kuwait, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Noel Gerig, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, Unreleased)

The HiMARS rocket pods (six rockets to a HiMARS) are loaded onto a modified USMC Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) 6×6 truck for transport and launch.  More information on HiMARS rockets can be found here and here.  With new seekers, HiMARS’ rockets may be able to target moving enemy ships.

A Look at the Sizes of U.S. Land-Based Attack Missiles
A U.S. Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) assigned to Kilo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment is parked during exercise Emerald Warrior 22.1 May 2, 2022 at Hurlburt Field, Florida.  (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jacob Cabanero)
Tags

Authors

Posted by :
Peter Ong is a Freelance Writer with United States and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) media credentials and lives in California. Peter has a Bachelor's Degree in Technical Writing/Graphic Design and a Master's Degree in Business. He writes articles for defense, maritime and emergency vehicle publications.
Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved