Article Posted on : - May 18, 2010

A tactical Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile. US Navy Photo.

USS CHEYENNE, AT SEA (BNS): Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN-773) in conjunction with Commander, US 7th Fleet and members of Naval Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 3 successfully fired a Block IV-E Tomahawk Land Attack Missile on May 5.

The missile launch took place off the southern coast of California into China Lake Test Range, as reported in a US Navy news release.

According to the report, it is for the first time that a forward-deployed operational command acted as the Tomahawk strike coordinator and primary missile controller for an operational test launch.

NSWG-3 provided the updated target data used by 7th Fleet to modify the missile's flight path, resulting in the destruction of the target.

"I am proud of the work we have accomplished during this exercise. The training value gained from a live firing event has no substitute, and will absolutely improve C7F's ability to conduct actual launch operations when required," said Master Chief Fire Controlman (SW) David Brewer, U.S. 7th Fleet Tomahawk strike coordinator.

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is an all-weather, long range, subsonic cruise missile used for land attack warfare, launched from US Navy surface ships and US Navy and Royal Navy submarines. The missile was first employed operationally during the Operation Desert Storm, in 1991.