Australian warship test-fires US Tomahawk missile

An Australian warship has test-fired a US Tomahawk cruise missile, officials said Tuesday.

HMAS Brisbane fired the Tomahawk on December 3 off the west coast of the United States, Australia's government said in a statement, making it one of only three countries alongside the US and Britain to acquire and fire the missile.With an extended range of up to 2,500 kilometers, the Tomahawk allows maritime platforms to perform long-range precision strikes against land targets.

The test-firing is in line with Australia's plan, announced earlier this year, to spend US$7 billion to expand the navy to 26 major surface combatant ships, up from 11 today.Australia plans to buy more than 200 Tomahawk missiles to arm some of its warships.