The Navy and prime contractor Raytheon [RTN] have successfully conducted a test of a Tomahawk cruise missile against a moving target at sea, the company said Wednesday.
The test marked the latest effort to shift the block IV version of the Tomahawk from a stationary-only targeting capability to one that is moving.
The West Coast test that took place at the end of January involved launching a Tomahawk from a destroyer on a pre-planned flight mission. Later, a surveillance plane sent real-time targeting information to the Joint Network Enabled Weapons Mission Management Capability in China Lake, Calif., Raytheon said.
The joint network then relayed updated targeting information to the Tomahawk, which then struck the mobile sea target, Raytheon said.
“This demonstration is the first step toward evolving Tomahawk with improved network capability and extends its reach from fixed and mobile to moving targets,” Raytheon said.