SAN NICOLAS ISLAND, Calif.,
Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A
Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile successfully showed it can take a
reconnaissance photo and follow orders to re-target in mid-flight
during a test conducted by the U.S. Navy and Raytheon Company
(NYSE: RTN).
During the test, a missile launched from the guided missile
destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101) used its onboard camera to capture
battle damage indication imagery and then transmitted the image to
fleet headquarters via its two-way UHF SATCOM datalink. The missile
then entered a loiter pattern to await further instructions.
Meanwhile, strike controllers at the U.S. Fifth Fleet
headquarters in Bahrain retargeted
the missile to a new aim point on the Navy's range at San Nicolas
Island, off the coast of southern California. The missile performed a vertical
dive and struck the designated target.
"We have once again proven the flexibility and utility of the
Tomahawk Block IV missile, which has an unprecedented record of
reliability and combat success." said Dave
Adams, Raytheon Tomahawk senior program director.
The test was designed to show that the missile's strike
controllers, located at multiple fleet headquarters, can control
and redirect multiple missiles simultaneously. To reduce testing
costs, only one of the large salvo of missiles was a live launch.
The rest were flown via computer simulation through various
missions directed by forward deployed strike controllers.
"Tomahawk continues to be the weapon of choice for combatant
commanders requiring very long range, precision strike, with the
flexibility to loiter and re-direct after launch," said Adams. "No
other weapon has this capability."
About Tomahawk
The U.S. Navy has conducted more than
75 successful Tomahawk flight tests since 2006. The cruise missile
has been employed in combat more than 2000 times since it was
introduced. Tomahawk is the key weapon used by U.S. and British
forces in defeating integrated air defense systems and striking
high value fixed and mobile targets in support of national
policy.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2014 sales of
$23 billion and 61,000 employees
worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in
defense, civil government and cybersecurity markets
throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 93
years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission
systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing;
effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence
systems, as well as cybersecurity and a broad range of mission
support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham,
Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit www.raytheon.com and
follow us on Twitter @raytheon.
Media Contact
Ashley H.
Mehl
+1.520.794.5142
rmspr@raytheon.com
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SOURCE Raytheon Company