Raytheon gets $349M to start Phase 2 of anti-ship Tomahawk development.

Raytheon has received a potential $349M cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to continue modernizing the Tomahawk cruise missile system as part of the U.S. Navy's rapid deployment capability efforts.

The Tomahawk cruise missile system (Picture source: Raytheon)

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $349,014,465 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Phase 2 of the Maritime Strike Tomahawk Rapid Deployment Capability for completion of the Phase 1 design and integration efforts as well as test and evaluation. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona and various locations within the U.S. and is expected to be completed in February 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $44,577,180 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

Tomahawk is equipped with a GPS technology and designed to be launched from ships or submarines. Raytheon and the Navy are working on updating the missile to include modern communications systems and other features intended to help the service branch strike moving targets at sea.

The Tomahawk missile can be launched from a ship or submarine and can fly into heavily defended airspace more than 1,000 miles away to conduct precise strikes on high-value targets with minimal collateral damage. Launching the weapon from such a long distance helps to keep sailors out of harm's way. The Tomahawk Block V is planned to go into production in 2020, the Block Va being the Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST) which allows the missile to engage a moving target at sea and the Block Vb outfitted with the JMEWS warhead for hard-target penetration.