Flight test demonstrates seeker's capability against land and sea targets

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) completed a successful captive flight test of a seeker designed for the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile. The seeker will enable Tomahawk to engage moving targets on land and at sea.

Using company-funded, independent research and development, the test was conducted with a modified Tomahawk missile nose cone mounted on a T-39 test aircraft and equipped with a seeker integrated with Raytheon's new, modular, multi-mode processor. Over a three-week period, the aircraft flew profiles that simulated the Tomahawk flight regime, aiming at moving targets on land and in the maritime environment. 

"Tomahawk is evolving to meet the U.S. Navy's need to add offensive punch and expand the overall power of the fleet worldwide," said Mike Jarrett, Raytheon Air Warfare Systems vice president. "The seeker test has successfully demonstrated the superior capability and maturity of our seeker technology against a variety of targets that resemble today's threats."

U.S. surface combatants and submarines require a robust, long-range strike capability to defeat emerging mobile threats. Since 2005, Raytheon Missile Systems has invested heavily in seeker technology development for Tomahawk to detect, discriminate and engage moving maritime and land-based targets, in all-weather at significant tactical stand-off range.

In June, 2014, RMS successfully demonstrated seeker components in a similar captive flight test. The December, 2015, captive flight test of the seeker demonstrated Technology Readiness Level 6 (Prototype in Representative Environment) of the seeker components needed to meet the moving land and maritime strike requirements. These improvements enhance the current Tomahawk long-range precision strike/land attack role.

About Tomahawk Block IV
With a range of approximately 1,000 statute miles, the Tomahawk Block IV missile is a surface- and submarine-launched, precision strike, stand-off weapon. Tomahawk is designed for long-range precision strike missions against high-value and heavily defended targets. More than 2,000 Tomahawks have been employed in combat.  More than 500 Tomahawk flight and production validation tests have been completed.  The missile is integrated on all major U.S. surface combatants, as well as U.S. and U.K. sub-surface platforms, including the Los Angeles, Virginia, Ohio, Astute and Trafalgar class submarines.