Raytheon to Redesign Tomahawk Cruise Missile to Strike Moving TargetsJuly 21, 2009
 The U.S. Defense Department awarded Raytheon a $12.8 million contract to design and test a new warhead for the Navy's Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile, which would allow it to precisely hit moving targets. The company plans to re-engineer the existing cruise missile design, in which the missiles are released offshore to blow up buildings and other vital infrastructure on land hundreds of miles away, into one that can target moving warships a thousand miles away. This development was reported in the Arizona Daily Star. Raytheon said the company plans to design a technology that will integrate a target seeker into the nose of the missile, the paper reported. The missile also will be equipped with an advanced sensor that processes radar and radio signals from destroyers and aircraft carriers in order to identify the correct target. Other improvements planned for cruise missiles include a warhead that can penetrate warships, and increased bandwidth and data capacity to receive and transmit via the Internet. The upgrades provide an ability to fire anti-shipping missiles at enemy ships protected by land-based aviation, without risking friendly ships. These missiles are not intended to be used to combat pirate vessels off the Somali coast, according to the report. (Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Kenneth Moll. (RELEASED)) |
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