Guided missile destroyer USS Chafee became the first US Navy destroyer to launch a Block V Tomahawk missile during an exercise in the Pacific Ocean, on December 1, 2020.
The missile launch marked the first time a Block V Tomahawk, the weapon’s newest variant, was operationally tested, marking the Navy’s transition to a more advanced capability for the fleet.
Block V is the latest version of the tried and tested missile that first entered service in the 1970s.
The newest series will come in three variants. The Block V will feature upgraded navigation and communication, while a Block Va variant will introduce a “Maritime Strike Tomahawk” capable of hitting moving targets at sea. The final version is the Block Vb, which will feature a joint multi-effects warhead (JMEWS) that can hit more diverse land targets.
Designed to incorporate both blast-fragmentation and enhanced penetration capabilities, the JMEWS was first tested by the navy in 2010.
In March this year, the US Navy awarded Raytheon contracts worth over $640 million for work on the delivery of the new Block V Tomahawk cruise missiles and upgrading existing Block IV variants to the newest version. The service plans to upgrade its entire inventory of Tomahawk cruise missiles to the Block V configuration.
