Why cant U.K. surface forces Use tomahawks?

It was originally in the upgrade path for T45 to get TLAM capability by adding 16 strike length cells in the spare space by the other VLS modules. That went a few years ago now.

Type 45 has Sylver A50 VLS. Sylver A70 is long enough, but TLAM would need to be integrated with it.

Like Sylver, Mk 41 comes in different lengths. Therefore, fitting Mk41 would not solve the length problem unless the right size was fitted, in this case the Strike Length model.

The type 45 could carry them, a study was done a while back but it would need Mk41 silos as the current SYLVER A50s aren’t long enough.

tomahawks

I think the last thing Navy planners were going to do is duplicate capabilities on Astute and a surface unit, such as C1, even before the latest round of cutting.

Because we didn’t buy MK41 VLS, even if we did we would have to buy more Tomahawks, we really keep a large enough inventory for our surface forces to use them as well as our boats.

Our TLAM are in torpedo tube cannisters, procurement of box launchers is an option, but probably not the best use of money at this point in time.

Subs are harder to find and the RN doesn’t use the Tomahawks in the same way as the US.

Besides, the subs are much harder to find and kill.

They can if the tomahawks fits in the launch cells, but UK probably havn’t got enough stockpiles to make use of it, better keep the tomahawks on the subs.