OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO

OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO - Senior Master Sgt. Ken Albers refuels an F-15 Eagle from the 46th Test Wing during a Tomahawk cruise missile test while Senior Airman Josh Krenegel looks on. Using both of Eglin's water and land test ranges, a U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missile was launched from the USS Boise, a Los Angeles-class submarine that was under way in the Gulf of Mexico. The Airmen supporting the test in the KC-135 Stratotanker are boom operators from the 384th Air Refueling Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mike Meares)

Test wing shadows test firing of Tomahawk cruise missile

Published March 2, 2006
Air Armament Center Public Affairs

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Last month Eglin Air Force Base demonstrated once again why it is an important asset to the Department of Defense and not just the Air Force.

Using both of the base's water and land test ranges, a U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missile was launched from the USS Boise, a Los Angeles-class submarine that was under way in the Gulf of Mexico.

Seconds after launch, the Tomahawk transitioned to cruise flight. It flew a fully guided 613-nautical mile test flight to the base's land test range where it executed a simulated programmed warhead detonation followed by a parachute recovery. Total flight time to target was one hour, 27 minutes.

The Tomahawk cruise missile is a long range, subsonic cruise missile used for land attack warfare, launched from surface ships and submarines. It is designed to fly at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and can be flown over evasive routes by several mission tailored guidance systems.

Tomahawk missiles are deployed throughout the world's oceans on numerous surface ships and submarines, including AEGIS-class cruisers, guided missile destroyers, and Seawolf and Los Angeles-class submarines.

As in all Tomahawk flight tests, air route safety was carefully planned in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. For safety purposes, the Tomahawk could have been guided by commands from safety chase aircraft provided by the 46th Test Wing.

The Tomahawk program is managed by the Program Executive Office, Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation, co-located at the NAVAIR complex at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.

The missile is manufactured by Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz.