Gettysburg Missile Team On Target

After spending weeks training and preparing, conducting more than forty simulated strike scenarios and launching over a thousand simulated missiles, the teams' work-up culminated in a single, integrated scenario, graded by members of the Afloat Training Group, Mayport.

At the words "salvo complete," it was clear that all their training had been effective. Fire Controlman 2nd Class (Surface Warfare) Arnold Gonzalez, one of the two tomahawk missile managers, said, "It feels good to put the training we received in the past couple of weeks to the test. We trained really hard, and we came together and succeeded.

"The Harpoon missile was initially introduced to the Navy thirty years ago, and according to the Navy, it remains the only medium-range anti-surface weapon in the fleet's inventory. It can be launched by various platforms at distances exceeding 67 nautical miles, according to the US Navy's online factfile.

Although the Tomahawk cruise missile has been around the fleet since just prior to Operation Desert Storm, Gettysburg is one of only a hand-full of ships in the fleet that has been fitted with the newest Tomahawk iteration, the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS). The new TTWCS combines the battle-tested capabilities of Tomahawk with enhancements, such as post-launch mission modification and increased range.

It is particularly remarkable that the two teams managed to train independently, in the midst of a busy training cycle and came together in a seamless, integrated manner shortly before qualification. At the conclusion of the certification scenario on Thursday morning, because of their superb performance, Gettysburg's CMTQ participants were given special liberty.