WASHINGTON, Nov 11: A prototype Navy cruise missile that has the capability of being directed to a different target while in flight was successfully launched underwater for the first time Sunday.

Raytheon Company announced that the test flight completed the demonstration test-flight phase (DT-1) of its programme to develop the Tactical Tomahawk, a cruise missile that can strike one of as many as 15 preprogrammed targets, or even be directed to an entirely new location while in flight.

Those capabilities will allow cruise missiles to lurk in the sky over a battlefield for several hours until a suitable target is identified and its location is fed into the rocket’s guidance system.

The Tactical Tomahawk is also equipped with a television camera that can be used by ground commanders to gain a bird’s eye view of the battlefield.

Current cruise missiles do not have the ability to be steered toward a new target once it is in the air, which limits its value in a battle when both enemy and friendly forces are constantly moving. The Navy plans to obtain more than 1,300 of the missiles over the life of the programme at a cost of around $575,000 each, nearly half of the cost of the current Tomahawk.