Originally Posted by Roland Pulfrew
Aren't Tomahawks a bit of a waste used against runways? Surely they are better at whacking C2 and key facilities? IIRC runways have generally been 'done' with free fall ordnance.
That's an interesting point. My understanding of TLAM is that it's rather good at blast and a bit good at splinter but not good at all at vertical penetration. The latter ability is what's needed to crater runways and sod up its substrate. That was why BLACKBUCK 1 needed to release the bombs at altitude to get enough KE for detonation beneath the surface. Theoretically, they could have laid 21 retarded bombs down the length of the runway but without the same structural effect on it.