US Navy will use Tomahawks to chop enemy ships

The U.S. Navy is about to add a serious punch to its arsenal at sea

By the end of September, defense giant RTX says its latest weapon, the Maritime Strike Tomahawk, will be ready for deployment

The new maritime missile is a variant of the battle-proven Tomahawk cruise missile

one of the most reliable weapons in modern warfare. With a range of at least 1,000 miles

the tomahawk was the weapon of choice for deep strikes during operations in Iraq, Afghanistan

and Syria. Since it first hit the battlefield, the U.S. and its allies launched more than 2,350

tomahawks. In 2024, more than 80 of them were used in the Navy's opening salvo of attacks on

Houthi targets in Yemen. Originally designed to hit land targets, the tomahawk evolved

Back in 2015, Raytheon, now a part of RTX, tested a Block IV variant that could strike ships at sea

That test laid the foundation for what's now the Block 5A, the Maritime Strike Tomahawk

The upgraded version includes enhanced guidance and targeting systems, giving U.S. Navy destroyers a precision strike capability against enemy vessels

far beyond visual range, or over the horizon to use military jargon. Fleet Forces Commander

Admiral Daryl Cottle called the new missile a game in anti firepower The Navy plans to buy over 1 of them at a cost of around million per missile And it worth noting here

these missiles can be launched from submarines, though it's not yet clear when they'll be

integrated into the U.S. Navy's so-called silent service. What we do know is the Pentagon is

prioritizing the Indo-Pacific, where tensions with China are rising. While not officially

announced it's a safe bet, the naval destroyers stationed in the Western Pacific will be among

the first to receive the new missiles. And it's not just the United States who could be getting

in on the action. Australia recently became just the third country to fire a tomahawk

after the US and the UK. The Royal Australian Navy ordered 200 tomahawks last year

and Japan's self-defense force doubled that order with a purchase of 400

That increase in demand is leading to more sustainable production of tomahawks

so it's not outside the realm of possibility. U.S. allies could be fielding the MST soon as well

Why would they? Well, China. As Beijing steps up aggression toward Taiwan and patrols contested waters near the Philippines

the United States and its allies in the region are making it clear if China tries to upset or threaten freedom of navigation in the region, there will be a high

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