Tomahawk Missiles to Get New Multi-mode Seeker to Hit Moving Targets at Sea

Raytheon is currently working with the US Navy to develop a multi-mode seeker to enable Tomahawk missiles to hit moving targets at sea, the company president said.

“Raytheon will continue to upgrade the Tomahawk to meet emerging threats, citing current work with the Navy to develop a multi-mode seeker to enable the Tomahawk to hit moving targets at sea,” Raytheon Missile Systems President Taylor Lawrence was quoted as saying by a local daily, Tucson Tuesday.

“We’re going to add an entirely new mission set to the Tomahawk land-attack missile, to go after maritime targets,” Capt. Mark Johnson, the Navy’s Tomahawk program manager.

All that capability doesn’t come cheap. The cost of each Tomahawk varies with the version and the number purchased in each production lot, but the most recent average cost is about $1.09 million apiece, Johnson said during a private Raytheon event at the UA Tech Park.

Raytheon also is working on a new multi-effects warhead for the Tomahawk, as well as networking the missile with other sensor operators in the battle space, such as aircraft.

Block IV Tomahawks currently in service will get communications and other upgrades as they enter the recertification program that marks the halfway point of their 30-year service life, said Dave Adams, Raytheon’s Tomahawk program manager. The company also is helping General Dynamics Electric Boat to triple the Tomahawk capacity on the Navy’s Virginia-class submarines.