Two U.S. Navy Tomahawk Block III cruise missiles were launched this week from USS PREBLE (DDG-88), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer underway in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern Calif. Both missiles were launched vertically, and flew land attack missions from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) sea ranges. This week’s events marked the PREBLE’s first participation in the Tomahawk test program.

In the first test event on December 6, the missile flew a fully guided 565-nautical mile test flight using global positioning satellite navigation. In route to the terminal dive, the missile dispensed munitions on three separate targets on the NAVAIR land range. Total flight time was approximately 1 hour, 18 minutes.

In the second test event on December 7, the missile flew a similar route, but with only a single designated target. The missile used global positioning satellite navigation in a fully guided 540-nautical mile test flight. Total flight time was approximately 1 hour, 17 minutes.

The Tomahawk cruise missile is a long range, subsonic cruise missile used for land attack warfare, launched from surface ships and submarines. Tomahawk is designed to fly at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and can be flown over evasive routes by several mission tailored guidance systems.

Tomahawk missiles are deployed throughout the world's oceans on numerous surface ships and submarines, including AEGIS-Class Cruisers, Guided Missile Destroyers, and SEAWOLF and LOS ANGELES-Class submarines.

As in all Tomahawk flight tests, air route safety was carefully planned in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. For safety purposes, the Tomahawk could have been guided by commands from safety chase aircraft.

The Tomahawk program is managed by the Program Executive Office, Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation (PEO(W)) co-located at the NAVAIR complex in Patuxent River, Maryland. The missile is manufactured by Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ. Tomahawk is a registered trademark of the United States Navy.