A U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missile was launched today at 9:10 a.m. EST from USS NORFOLK (SSN-714), a submerged LOS ANGELES-Class submarine underway in the Jacksonville, Fla., Operating Areas. The missile flew a land attack mission, launching from a point in the Atlantic sea ranges east of Jacksonville. It then flew an east to west course across the northern sector of Florida, out over the Gulf of Mexico, turned north across the panhandle of Florida to southern Alabama and safely terminated on the Eglin Air Force Base Test Range.

Seconds after launch from the submarine's torpedo tube, the Tomahawk missile transitioned to cruise flight. It flew a fully guided 840-mile test flight using Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) navigation to a target and recovery site on the Eglin Range. The missile's parachute recovery system was activated as planned. The missile was safely recovered and will be refurbished for future use.

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.

While maintaining its deep strike capability, Tomahawk continues to evolve to meet the warfighters' needs for a more flexible and "tactical" precision strike weapon. Future variants will incorporate new technologies to provide advanced operational capabilities and expanded missions while significantly reducing acquisition and life cycle costs.

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

Today marked the 395th Tomahawk flight test.