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| Press Release Number: EPEOW200304051 | 05-Apr-03 |
Tactical Tomahawk Stretches Its Legs |
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| History was made today as the U.S. Navy's new Tomahawk cruise missile, Tactical Tomahawk, was launched from an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer, the USS STETHEM (DDG-63), in the waters of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) sea test range off the coast of southern California. Today's event marked the first launch of the Block IV Tactical Tomahawk from an operational surface ship equipped with the Tactical Tomahawk Weapon Control System and marked the beginning of the final phase of government evaluation testing. The missile will become operational in the middle of 2004. The first in a series of four surface/sub-surface missile launches, this test successfully demonstrated the newest advances in the Tomahawk Weapon System communication suite by validating transmissions, reception, and initiation of the missile prior to launch. In a glow of fire from the booster rocket motor, the missile blasted from the USS STETHEM's vertical launching system and transitioned to cruise flight using its fuel-efficient turbo-jet engine. Demonstrating its unique communication capability, the missile established a satellite link with its launch platform and passed numerous tactical messages to demonstrate its real time command and control communication capability. The missile continued swiftly through its 780-mile test flight using Global Positioning System updates to successfully navigate to the target impact site. This test event demonstrated the culmination of over four years of design and integration efforts between the Navy and Raytheon Missile Systems, the missile manufacturer. The Tomahawk missile is ship and submarine launched, and was first employed operationally during Desert Storm. Since then, the missile has been heralded for its accuracy and lethality in numerous operations. The Tactical Tomahawk boasts several enhancements including mission planning onboard the launch platform, in-flight retargeting, tactical loiter and battle damage assessment capability, and in-flight health and status reports. These capabilities increase warfighter effectiveness and responsiveness, while significantly reducing acquisition and life cycle costs. The Tomahawk program is managed by the Program Executive Office, Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation (PEO(W)) co-located at the NAVAIR complex in Patuxent River, Maryland. When asked to comment, Rear Admiral Jack Chenevey (PEO(W)) said, "with our nation at war, this is a challenging time for our Navy. Today, Navy and Marine Corps forces are contributing decisive combat power to support joint and coalition warfighting objectives. The Tomahawk missile is a remarkable, reliable contributor to this effort. It brings me enormous pride to see the continued dedication of our Navy/Raytheon development team as we bring the next generation of Tomahawk cruise missile, with all it's enhanced combat capability, a step closer to the warfighter." As in all Tomahawk flight tests, air route safety was carefully planned in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). For safety purposes, the Tactical Tomahawk could have been guided by commands from safety chase aircraft. Tomahawk is a registered trademark of the United States Navy. NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts. From professional training to carrier launch and recovery; from sensor data to precision targeting and real-time communications; from aircraft and weapons development to successful deployment and sustainment; NAVAIR provides dominant combat effects and matchless capabilities to the American warfighter. |
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