PATUXENT RIVER, Md., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy and Raytheon have marked the delivery of the 3,000th Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile to the service.
The Tomahawk Block IN missile is a deep-strike, long range missile used by the U.S. Navy and Britain's Royal Navy. The original version came into service in 1983.
A special feature of the missile is its capability of loitering over a target area to destroy emerging threats and/or provide commanders with battle damage reports using its onboard camera system
General Dynamics was the original manufacturer of the missile system, which is now a Raytheon product.
"More than 40 years ago, few could have imagined the viability of a long-range cruise [missile] with the precision and lethality to achieve strategic objectives," said Capt. Joe Mauser, program manager for the Tomahawk Weapons Systems Program Office. "Over the past three decades, Tomahawk has evolved, but remained a key component of combat operations with over 2,000 combat shots."
The Navy and Raytheon marked the delivery milestone with a ceremony at a Raytheon production facility in Arizona.
