According to information published by Raytheon Missiles & Defense on March 26, 2021, the firm has delivered the first Tomahawk Block V cruise missile to the U.S. Navy. The weapon is equipped with improved navigation and communications systems. A multimode seeker is in development that will allow Tomahawk to engage moving targets at sea.
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USS Chafee (DDG 90) and Raytheon conduct first-ever Tomahawk Block V cruise missile tests (Picture source: Military Leak)
The Tomahawk is one of the most effective missiles in the Pentagon’s history. The missile, which General Dynamics first designed in the 1970s, was one of the first truly effective cruise missiles. Unlike traditional missiles that use rocket motors, fly high altitudes, and travel at Mach 2+ speeds, cruise missiles use turbojet engines, fly at low altitudes, and travel at subsonic speeds.
The Tomahawk Block V, a subsonic missile with a maximum speed of about 550mph, has upgraded electronics and navigation to help evade enemy antimissile radar. The warhead will be modified to help penetrate warship armour and its range extended to 1,500 miles.
The USS Chafee (DDG-90) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in service with United States Navy. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine on 12 April 2001, launched on 2 November 2002, and commissioned on 18 October 2003 in Newport, Rhode Island.
