ARLINGTON, Va.— Raytheon Missile Co. will build a new block upgrade of the Tomahawk cruise missile for the U.S. Navy even as the company takes older missiles into a recertification program to return them to service.
“Tomahawk has returned to production [after a one-year gap],” said Chris Daily, Raytheon’s Tomahawk program manager, speaking to reporters May 7 at the Sea-Air-Space Expo in National Harbor, Md. “All production beginning in fiscal ’20 will be Block 5.”
He said the fiscal 2020-2021 production — 90 missiles per year — will emerge as Block 5 versions.
The Block 5 version is an upgrade of the Block 4 Tomahawk, with upgrades such as navigation and communications improvements.
A subversion, Block 5A, will be the Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST), equipped with a multimode seeker that retains a land-attack capability.
“The MST is going to be a great addition to the fleet,” Daily said.
Another, the Block 5B, will be a Block V armed with the Joint Multiple Effects Warhead and will be fielded in 2024-2025.
Daily said the Block 4 Tomahawks being recertified after 15 years in service also will emerge as Block 5 versions. The first deliveries will occur in 2020. “Tomahawk will be in the fleet until the 2050s,” Daily said.
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