USS Milius launches the Tomahawk IV.

The Tomahawk program is managed by the Program Executive Office, Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation (PEO(W)) co-located at the NAVAIR complex at Pax River.

Seconds after launch from the ship’s vertical launch system, the Tomahawk missile transitioned to cruise flight. It flew a fully-guided 755-nautical mile test flight using global positioning satellite and digital scene matching area correlator navigation, to a target site on the NAVAIR land range.

The test successfully demonstrated the Tomahawk Strike Network. The Tomahawk Strike Network (TSN) is a unique aspect of the Block IV system. Utilized in this test, TSN is a communications network that provides secure connectivity among all of the participants in a strike plan. Those participants include the Block IV missile(s), the strike controller, and the missile controller.

Messages are generated, sent, and received inside the network, and are monitored by a channel controller. TSN allows the strike controller to retarget the missile in flight, monitor the health and status of the missile in flight, and collect images along the route.

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 enhanced capabilities of Tomahawk Block IV increase fleet effectiveness, while significantly reducing acquisition and life cycle costs.

U.S. Navy Tomahawk Program Manager Capt. Rick McQueen said, ‘‘Today’s successful test event shows that the Baseline IV Tomahawk Weapon System will maintain the legacy of weapon effectiveness that Tomahawk has demonstrated in every major conflict from Desert Storm through Operation Iraqi Freedom.”