The US Navy has successfully tested the synthetically guided Tomahawk cruise missile on its Arleigh Burke-class USS Kidd (DDG 100) destroyer, near San Nicolas Island, California, US.
During the flight, a Tomahawk Block IV missile successfully hit the intended target, demonstrating its guidance capability by altering path towards the moving target with updates provided by surveillance aircraft.
Tomahawk Weapons System (PMA-280) programme manager captain Joe Mauser said: "This is a significant accomplishment. It demonstrates the viability of long-range communications for position updates of moving targets.
"This success further demonstrates the existing capability of Tomahawk as a netted weapon and in doing so, extends its reach beyond fixed and re-locatable points to moving targets."
The cost-efficient solution, which uses existing Tomahawk strike communications frameworks, was built by a joint venture of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) team at China Lake, PMA-280 and Raytheon Missile Systems.
NAWCWD executive director Scott O’ Neil said: "We have worked with teams across the country to be successful today.
"This is a project that increases warfighting capability, reduces cost and can be added to other existing technologies out in the field."
Tomahawk weapons systems are currently used on surface and subsurface platforms worldwide.
Image: Tomahawk cruise missile hitting a moving maritime target during its testing from USS Kidd. Photo: courtesy of the US Navy.
