The US Navy marked a significant milestone on November 5, as the service joined defence contractor Raytheon Missile Systems in celebrating the delivery of the 3,000th Tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) missile.

TACTOM, also known as Tomahawk Block IV, is a deep-strike, long-range cruise missile often used for land-attack warfare and employed from US Navy surface combatants and US Navy and United Kingdom Royal Navy submarines.

The TACTOM missile is capable of loitering over a target area in order to respond to emerging targets or, with its on-board camera, provide battle damage information to warfighting commanders. TACTOM can also provide an on-scene commander with the flexibility to attack long-range fixed targets or support special-operations forces with a lethal, responsive, precision weapon system.