Raytheon Co's Tomahawk cruise missiles failed to reach Iraqi targets in fewer than 2 percent of almost 800 missions during three weeks of the war, the US Navy commander in the Persian Gulf said.
Fewer than 10 of the satellite-guided missiles "didn't get to their targets," Vice Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the US 5th Fleet, told reporters today. Seven missiles strayed into Saudi Arabia and Turkey and landed without exploding, forcing the US to rearrange flight patterns, officials said.
The US through yesterday dropped or fired almost 17,450 precision-guided weapons, including Tomahawks, at Iraqi targets, representing 67 percent of total bombs, defense officials said.
The Navy fired 288 Tomahawks in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
"The dramatic success we've enjoyed is likely due to our ability to prosecute specific targets throughout Iraq and yet prosecute with very pinpoint precision so we could go around areas where we didn't want to fire or didn't need to fire and get to the heart of the Iraqi regime leadership," Keating said.
The Tomahawk's expanded use also reflects upgrades of computers in the past decade to let commanders on ships plan missions within hours of receiving target coordinates, he said.
The "dramatic reduction" in planning and executing is enhanced "by the fusion of intelligence and operations and our ability to communicate over secure lines worldwide," Keating said.
"The types of targets were broad-ranging," Keating said.
The navy had about 1,500 Tomahawks in the region before the war started. About 35 of 140 vessels in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean are capable of firing the US$600,000-to-US$1 million missile.
The talks focus on starting before mid-2004, the current date for the work, company spokeswoman Jennifer Allen said. The navy asked Raytheon to be able to make as many as 600 Tactical Tomahawks a year, a boost from 456 first planned, said Allen and Navy spokeswoman Lieutenant Brauna Carl.
The navy and Raytheon are negotiating a five-year contract worth much as US$2 billion to purchase 1,353 Tactical Tomahawks. Raytheon has orders for 192. The Navy has boosted by 671 missiles to 2,396 the number of Tactical Tomahawks it plans to buy in what's a US$3 billion program.
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