Demonstration of a penetration warhead on the Raytheon Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile has been completed, with the second of two planned test flights. The missile was vertically launched from a ground stand and hit the target with precision accuracy, says the US Navy.
The test flight was the sixth successful launch of the Block IV Tomahawk, which will enter service next year, initially with a blast/ fragmentation warhead. Earlier this month, the first live-warhead ship launch of the Tactical Tomahawk was conducted.
The 1,400km (760nm) test flight demonstrated the in-flight communication capability unique to the Block IV Tomahawk, with the ship retargeting the missile after launch and collecting bomb-damage indication information. Raytheon has low-rate initial production contracts for 192 of the USN's planned 2,400 Tactical Tomahawks.
Source: Flight International
