The Australian Navy has launched a Tomahawk cruise missile for the first time during exercises off the west coast of the United States.

This was reported by Naval news.

The Australian destroyer Brisbane (DDG-41) of the Royal Australian Navy underwent maintenance for four weeks with the support of the US Navy to launch the first cruise missile.

The Tomahawk was launched during a joint deployment of the two navies operating from the San Diego Naval Base, California. The missile successfully hit a ground target.

Australia does not disclose the number of missiles purchased. However, it is known that the United States government had approved the sale of 200 Tomahawk Block V missiles and 20 Block IV missiles to Australia back in 2023.

At that time, the expected value of the contract, approved by the International Defense Cooperation Agency, was about $1.14 billion.

The adoption of these missiles dramatically changes the operational range of the Australian Armed Forces and the Royal Navy, as the maximum strike range has increased from 124 km (AGM-84 Harpoon) to 1650 km (RGM-109E Tomahawk). Long-range missiles will significantly enhance the country’s combat potential in a possible confrontation with China and its forces in the region.

Major rearmament of the Royal Australian Navy

In addition to the Tomahawks, the Australian Navy this year launched a large-scale upgrade of its anti-ship component, re-equipping destroyers with the latest NSM anti-ship missiles with a range of more than 185 kilometers. The first destroyer, HMAS Sydney, which is Brisbane’s classmate, fired them in July this year.

Australia plans to completely replace the outdated AGM-84 Harpoon missiles with NSMs. To do this, the country has invested $850 million in building their production on its territory in cooperation with their developer, Kongsberg Defense Australia.

Also in October of this year, the Royal Navy announced a major purchase of SM-2 IIIC and SM-6 long-range anti-aircraft missiles worth $4.68 billion.

They will be deployed on the aforementioned Hobart-class destroyers: the eponymous Hobart, Brisbane and Sydney. In addition, they are planned to be installed on promising Hunter class frigates.

“The Standard Missile 6 and Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC will enable our Navy to strike maritime, land and air targets at long-range, and provide a terminal ballistic missile defense capability, boosting the capacity for the ADF to safeguard Australians and their interests,” Defenсe Minister Richard Marles said.