The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Raytheon a $171 million contract modification to a previous Tomahawk missile deal.
The modification exercises the option to deliver 111 full-rate production Tomahawk Block V missiles to the US military: 50 to the US Army, 48 to the US Navy, and 13 to the US Marines by November 2025.
This army and the marines will receive the missiles for the first time.
Tomahawk for Army, Marines
The marines want to use the missiles from ships, shores, and islands and have been developing land-based launchers for the missiles.
The army wants the missile for its Mid-Range Capability Weapon System (MRC) being developed to take on the growing range and complexity of Chinese and Russian artillery.
The MRC is intended to bridge the capability gap between the army’s Precision Strike Missile (about 300 miles or 483 kilometers maximum range) and the developmental Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon system (about 1,725 miles or 2,776 kilometers maximum range).
Upgrades
The Block V is capable of in-flight updates. Moreover, the missile’s improved navigation and communication systems make it harder to detect and jam.
The version will be available in two sub-variants: the Va to target moving vessels, and the Vb, with an advanced warhead to strike “hardened” land targets.
