POINT LOMA, Calif., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- An advanced target seeker installed in a Block IV Tomahawk missile with a state-of-the-art processor and antenna has been field tested by Raytheon.
The electronic support measure to locate and track moving targets is part of the company's new product improvement program for the Tomahawk, which is carried by U.S. Navy surface and sub-surface vessels.
"This new moving target capability would enhance Tomahawk's already exceptional land attack mode capability by allowing it to engage moving targets on land," said Roy Donelson, Tomahawk program director for Raytheon Missile Systems. "We believe this evolution would align with DOD's [Department of Defense's] vision of increasing capability while maintaining development costs."
The field test follows seven months of testing in anechoic chambers. Additional details on testing were not disclosed.
The Tomahawk cruise missile was originally developed by General Dynamics and is now made by Raytheon. Upgrades to the Tomahawk Block IV missile include a two-way satellite data-link, which enables a strike controller to redirect the missile in-flight to pre-programmed alternate targets or more critical targets.
"Raytheon is providing the U.S. Navy with a missile that can evolve its capability," Donelson said. "Tomahawk is an open architecture 'truck' capable of integrating payloads and sensors that have high technology readiness levels."
