A Navy Tactical Tomahawk missile ended its flight early during a training mission off the coast of North Florida, and crashed into waters near Eglin Air Force Base, the base announced Tuesday. There were no injuries or damage to property. A Navy submarine in Southern Florida launched the missile, which flew a flight path coordinated with the Federal Aviation Agency, according to Eglin. The missile terminated its flight early, crashing into the waters of Hogtown Bayou, a sparsely populated area southeast of the base and north of Miramar Beach. Air Force, Navy, and local agencies responded to the scene to clean up debris.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.