Dylan Wagemans
BRITISH nuclear submarine HMS Astute was seen loading Tomahawk cruise missiles in Gibraltar during the weekend.
The 97-metre long Astute is the first of its class, being commissioned in 2010, and declared fully operational in 2014.
A loading operation was carried out in the port of Gibraltar, with multiple American-made Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) being hoisted onto the sub.
Although common, the event has captured attention as it coincided with its participation in operation highmast, a British-led carrier strike group sailing to the Indo-Pacific for naval exercises with allied nations.
The mission, which spans eight months, includes joint exercises with allies in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia and is led by aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
Sources from the British Ministry of Defence have stressed that the loading of TLAM missiles on the Astute is part of the standard protocol to maintain the full operability of the submarine during longer deployments.
The actions are carried out with strict security measures and in coordination with the local authorities of the United Kingdom in the territory of Gibraltar.
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The Tomahawk missile, the backbone of HMS Astute’s strike arsenal, is a long-range cruise missile capable of hitting ground targets more than 1,600 kilometres away with surgical precision.
Unlike ballistic missiles, the Tomahawk flies at low altitude, allowing it to avoid enemy radars and adapt to the terrain.
Its turbo-fan engine provides it with a constant subsonic speed of around 880kph.
Weighing more than 1,500 kg and measuring more than six metres in length, its payload can be a 450kg unit warhead or a submunition dispenser.
