Ahead of schedule Milestone 3 of the TPM-2 project has been unveiled and will begin testing early in November. Milestone 3 (or top give it it's full title XTPM-2 M3) will introduce an exciting new technology that will surely strike fear into enemy crews : cloaking.
The TPM-2 will have the option of a cloaking device which means that a cloaked ship using passive sensors or a datalink could launch a cloaked TPM-2 and make a kill totally without detection, or warning to the enemy. The DDS have said though that only a small number of TPM-2s will be fitted with the cloaking device because of cost and will be used on a "first strike".
Accuracy is obviously key and the TPM-2 will have to use it's own passive sensor mode if there is no external targeting data available, the TPM-2 will use datalinks from it's mothership and by Milestone 4 next year will be able to accept targeting data from another ship other than the launcher. It is envisaged that the DDS may have a ship out of harm's way as the active scanner and have other assets as cloaked using the data.
Transphasic spoofing is also included in Milestone 3, this allows the missile to fool enemy sensors and CIWS in the terminal phase by returning false location readings. In either the cloaked or normal model the TPM-2 will be incredibly hard to defend against.
