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Tomahawk flight-test missile
The United States has named weapons after Native Americans for more than 200 years. After the stunning Indian victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, the practice became more common.
A 1969 Pentagon directive stated "Names should appeal to the imagination without sacrifice of dignity, and should suggest an aggressive spirit and confidence." Aircraft were to carry "Native American terms and names of Native American tribes and chiefs."
The Tomahawk is a subsonic cruise missile. Launched from submarines or ships, it can hit targets 1500 miles away. It has been used hundreds of times in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Syria. This early production model flew four test missions between 1976 and 1978.
Zuni missile
Named after a tribe in the Southwest, the Zuni rocket was introduced in 1958 and widely used in the Vietnam War. Deployed as an air-to-air missile without a guidance system, it required a pilot to aim his craft and hope for the best. |