Raytheon moves ahead with bunker busting cruise missile upgrades to Tomahawk

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 12 July 2009.Cruise missile designers at Raytheon Co. in Tucson, Ariz., are moving ahead with a plan to improve the Tomahawk cruise missile for bunker busting and large area target capability under terms of $12.8 million contract awarded Friday from U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.

Raytheon will provide the engineering, material, missile electronics, and test support for the Joint Multi Effects Warhead System (JMEWS) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) to integrate several warhead technologies onto the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile that are intended to enable the missile to destroy hard and large-area targets using a two-stage warhead design in a "multi-effects" system.

JMEWS is to give the Tomahawk cruise missile increased flexibility and lethality against heavily defended and hardened targets like bunkers, underground laboratories, and missile facilities.

This capability is to give military commanders the option of attacking heavily defended and dynamic targets without using manned aircraft. Tomahawk is designed to be launched from surface ships and submerged submarines.