The Midnight Hammer operation either Midnight hammer It will go to military history as one of the most effective and spectacular carried out by the world’s first military power. The United States used 125 aircraftincluding 7 B-2 Spiritthe greatest mobilization of these poachers in almost 30 years of service, and launched 75 bombs and missiles with those who destroyed the nuclear facilities of Natanz, Isfahán and the ‘impenetrable’ fordow. The latter, built to 80 meters undergroundwas the objective of a dozen bombs Rompe-bunkers GBU-57first used, capable of penetrating until 60 meters underground Before exploding.
From a technological point of view, the prominence has been taken B-2 and the GBU-57but they were not the only weapons used. The attack, which lasted 25 minutesalso included the launch of More than two dozen cruise missiles Tomahawk against Isfahán’s complex from an American submarine.
Although the United States has not broken down all the details of the midnight hammer operation, the Tomahawk had to be launched from a submarine Ohio Ssgnsince only the units of that class can launch such a Tomahawk number simultaneously, according to The War Zone. It is estimated that he was 640 kilometers of the target And it was the beginning of the operation, moments before the b-2 bombers They will penetrate Iranian airspace, to 23:00, Spanish timeon Saturday.
According to the pentagon, All the Tomahawk achieved their planned objectives with precision and destroyed critical infrastructure in Isfahán. The Chief of the Joint Chief, General Dan Cainehe said in an initial evaluation that ‘The three sites suffered extremely severe damage and destruction’accrediting the Tomahawk in Isfahán an important part of that result. Together, the use of the Tomahawk was considered highly effectivecontributing to ‘severely degrade’ Iranian nuclear capacity without Iranian air defenses came to respond.
Tomahawk cruise missile history
The history of the Tomahawk Abarca six decades and has known numerous versions that can be grouped into 5 blocks. The program began in the 70s And the first Tomahawk entered service in the 80. The most significant conflicts in which they have been used since then have been the Gulf War (1991), Los Balkans (1995 and 1999), Afghanistan (2001), La Iraq invasion (2003), Libya (2011), Syria (2014, 2017 and 2018) and Yemen (2016, 2024). In addition to the United States, armies of United Kingdom, Australia and Japan They have this weapon.
The Tomahawk manufacturer has changed with its development stages. Originally, in the 70s and 80s, General Dynamics It was the main contractor. In the 90s, production went to McDonnell Douglaswhich assembled Block III missiles until 1994, and then Hughes Aircraftwhich acquired the General Dynamics missile division. Subsequently, Raytheon Hughes bought in 1997 and since thenRaytheon Missiles & Defense He is the main contractor and manufacturer of the Tomahawk.
This missile has seen its technology evolve throughout More than four decadeskeeping as a key weapon in the US cruise arsenal.
Tomahawk specifications used in the midnight hammer operation
He BGM/RGM-109 Tomahawkits generic denomination, is a long -range cruise missilesubsonic and precision, designed for attacks against land objectives. The variants used in the midnight hammer operation are the Tomahawk Tlam-e Block IV / Block V. This missile is optimized to fly complex routes at very low altitude (tens of meters above the ground) avoiding defenses, and reaching white highly defended with a margin of error of just meters thanks to their advanced guidance. Each of them has a Cost per unit around 2 million dollars. Its technical specifications are as follows:
- Maximum range: 1,600 km (about 900 nautical miles).
- Cruise speed: Subsonic (Mach 0.74 / 850–900 km / h).
- Flight profile: Low -level flight (30–50 m on the ground) to avoid radars; Programmable evasive trajectory.
- Guided system: Inertial navigation with correction via GPS, supported by third (comparison of land contours) and DSMAC (digital image correlation) for terminal adjustment; update in flight.
- Ogive: Conventional 450 kg of high explosive in unit load. There is also a nuclear version already removed.
- Length: 5.6 m (no propeller) / 6.25 m (with propeller). Diameter: 53 cm; Greatness: 2.67 m.
- Propulsion: Turbofán Jet-A/JP-10 (Williams F107) + Solid fuel launch propeller.
- Ascent speed: Approximately 870 km/h. It is not a ballistic or hypersonic missile.
- Launch platforms: Surface ships (VLS MK41) and submarines (launcher or vertical silos).
He Block IV It was introduced in 2004 and added the ability to reprogram the goal during the flight and of broadcast images to the control center. Block vin service since 2021, it is a modernization of the previous one that shares most of its characteristics and presents the same external aspect.
It incorporates improvements in precision, resistance to interference, a data link during the safest and resistant flight and is designed to serve as a future subvariants such as Block goes (anti -ribous) and Block VB (penetrating).