• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Port Hueneme Division Successfully Tests Tactical Tomahawk Penetrator

NAVSEA News

By NSWC Port Hueneme Division Public Affairs

WHITE SANDS, NM -- The Navy's next generation of Tomahawk Cruise Missile, the Tactical Tomahawk, took flight March 21, 2003, due to the efforts of a team of engineers and Sailors from Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division, White Sands Detachment.

The launch took place at the White Sands Missile Test Range, New Mexico as part of a Defense Threat Reduction Agency-sponsored Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration. This marked the first developmental test flight of the Tactical Tomahawk configured with a live penetration warhead, and is the first Tomahawk flight test conducted at White Sands since 1977.

The Tactical Tomahawk was launched vertically from a ground test stand that simulated the normal shipboard Vertical Launching System. The missile successfully executed all boost phase events and transitioned to cruise flight for its assigned land attack mission. The missile performed a fully guided flight using global positioning system and digital scene matching area correlation navigation updates and impacted its intended target with precision. All Tomahawk test objectives were successfully demonstrated.

The White Sands Detachment was the range test sponsor, responsible for providing range support equipment such as the radars, optics support, and telemetry stations. Sailors from the detachment participated as part of the launch team and delivered all ordnance support.

"This was a very complex demonstration with numerous objectives and a very short planning timeline," stated Ruth Sims, White Sands Detachment Test Conductor. "I think our test team really enjoyed the challenges and the customer enjoyed the results. A successful launch and flight test with only two months for planning is quite an achievement. A test this complex normally requires more than a year to plan."

Navy Capt. Bob Novak, Program Manager for the Tomahawk All-Up-Round Missile, affirmed the program's satisfaction in his statement to the press. "Completion of this flight test continues to demonstrate the unprecedented capability of this weapons system. Today's flight proves that the Tactical Tomahawk design is robust and flexible enough to potentially carry different payloads if required by the operating forces."

Novak believes the program is on track to provide the Fleet with the most technologically advanced land attack cruise missile ever built.

"I am extremely proud of this government/industry team," he added. "Its efforts will put absolute combat power and flexibility into the hands of the Fleet in the near future. Simply put, Tactical Tomahawk will be the centerpiece of an unheard of revolution in strike warfare planning and execution."

The Tactical Tomahawk, or Block IV, is the latest variant of the Navy's premiere cruise missile, due to reach the fleet in 2004. The Tomahawk 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. The Tactical Tomahawk will boast several enhancements including mission planning onboard the launch platform, in-flight re-targeting, loiter and battle damage assessment capability, and in-flight health and status reports. These capabilities increase fleet effectiveness, while significantly reducing acquisition and lifecycle costs.