Tomahawk Cruise Missile This long-range subsonic missile is used for land attack warfare. After launch, a solid propellant drives the missile until a small turbofan engine takes over for the cruise portion of the flight. During this period, the missile can reach 550 miles per hour. The Tomahawk is effective at avoiding detection by radar due to its small cross-section and low altitude flight. The Tomahawk also has internal inertial guidance, GPS updates, and terrain contour-matching (TERCOM), which compares a stored map with the actual surrounding terrain to determine its exact position. Diagrams reprinted from Tom Clancy's Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship, Laura Deninno, Series Illustrator.