Tomahawk cruise missile is a winged, high subsonic speed surface-to-surface missile launched from surface ships or submarines against targets up to 700 miles away. Aboard ship, Tomahawk is launched from a vertical launcher, while submarines launch Tomahawk from vertical tubes or from standard torpedo tubes. After launch, Tomahawk follows its pre-programmed mission. The Block II version navigates by comparing what it "sees" on the ground to what is stored in its memory. Block III Tomahawks, first delivered in 1993, added satellite global positioning system (GPS) navigation to the missile's guidance system, thereby extending range, improving accuracy and adding time of arrival control. The Tomahawk program began in 1972, with production beginning in 1980. The missile's first combat use was in January 1991 in an attack against Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, providing a dramatic demonstration of its capabilities. Navy cruisers, destroyers, battleships and submarines launched 288 land-attack Tomahawks against weapon facilities, missile sites, and command and control centers. Its exemplary performance kept allied losses to a minimum and earned its reputation as the "weapon of choice" against high-value, heavily defended targets. Hughes Missile Systems Company is developing the next version Tomahawk -- Block IV -- which will be capable of reduced mission planning time, near perfect reliability, greater precision and lethality, and inflight satellite communications. Tomahawk is produced at HMSC's plant site in Tucson, Arizona. The U.S. Navy is the only current Tomahawk user. The missile also has been ordered by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy for its Trafalgar and Swiftsure submarines.

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