Developed at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University under James H. Walker near Laurel, Maryland, the Tomahawk emerged in the 1970s as a modular cruise missile first manufactured by General Dynamics.

Over a dozen variants and upgraded versions have been developed since the original design, including air-, sub-, and ground-launched configurations with both conventional and nuclear armaments.

[12] In 1994, Hughes Aircraft, having purchased General Dynamics' missile division in 1992, outbid McDonnell Douglas to become the sole supplier of Tomahawks.

[18] The Block III TLAMs that entered service in 1993 can fly farther using their new turbofan engines[8] and use Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to strike more precisely.

[8] Block IV TLAMs have an improved turbofan engine that allows them to get better fuel economy and change speeds in flight.

[8] A major improvement to the Tomahawk is network-centric warfare-capabilities, using data from multiple sensors (aircraft, UAVs, satellites, foot soldiers, tanks, ships) to find its target.

[citation needed] DSMAC was a highly accurate rudimentary AI which allowed early low power computers to navigate and precisely target objectives using cameras on board the missile.

The Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS) added the capability for limited mission planning on board the firing unit (FRU).

In the static test, the warhead detonated and created a hole large enough for the follow-through element to completely penetrate the concrete target.

[29] In February 2014, US Central Command sponsored development and testing of the JMEWS, analyzing the ability of the programmable warhead to integrate onto the Block IV Tomahawk, giving the missile bunker buster effects to better penetrate hardened structures.

[30] In 2012, the USN studied applying Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) technology into the Tactical Tomahawk.

[31] In 2014, Raytheon began testing Block IV improvements to attack sea and moving land targets.

Instead of modifying every ship able to carry cruise missiles, the ramjet-powered Tomahawk would still have to fit within a 21-inch (530 mm) diameter and 20-foot (6.1 m) long tube.

[33] In October 2015, Raytheon announced the Tomahawk had demonstrated new capabilities in a test launch, using its onboard camera to take a reconnaissance photo and transmit it to fleet headquarters.

[40] By January 2016, Los Alamos National Laboratory was working on a project to turn unburned fuel left over when a Tomahawk reaches its target into an additional explosive force.

[43] Tomahawk Block V have longer range and dynamic targeting with the capability to hit vessels at sea (maritime strike role).

Raytheon is recertifying and modernizing the missile, extending its service life by 15 years, and resulting in the new Tomahawk Block V series: In 2020, Los Alamos National Laboratory reported that it would use corn ethanol to produce domestic fuel for Tomahawk missiles, which also does not require harsh acids to manufacture, compared to petroleum-based JP-10.

Terminal guidance is provided by the Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) system or GPS, producing a claimed circular error probable of about 30 feet (10 m).

[47] It was the United States' first acknowledged launch of a missile that would have violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, from which the Trump administration withdrew on 2 August after Russia broke it.

The first missiles were acquired and test-fired in November 1998; all Royal Navy fleet submarines are now Tomahawk capable, including the Astute-class.

In April 2004, the UK and US governments reached an agreement for the British to buy 64 of the new generation of Tomahawk missile—the Block IV or TacTom missile.

[91] In June 2022, the UK announced it would be upgrading its Tomahawk cruise missiles to Block V standard through a £265 million contract with the US government.

In 2022 plans for acquiring long-range and precision-guided weapon systems for the frigates and submarines of The Royal Netherlands Navy were announced as part of the Strategic Defence Review 2022, Tomahawk was identified.

[104][105] In March 2023, the commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy announced in a column that the project to acquire maritime strike capability had been approved by the Ministry of Defence, and would include both the De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates and the Walrus-class submarines.

On 10 July 2024, a joint statement of the US and Germany was released, announcing the beginning of episodic deployments of long-range fires units with conventional warheads.

[111] This is considered as a direct response to Russia's President Vladimir Putin's call to resume production and global deployment of intermediate range missiles, two weeks prior.

[119] The SLCM version of the Popeye was developed by Israel after the US government under the Clinton administration refused an Israeli request in 2000 to purchase Tomahawk SLCMs because of international Missile Technology Control Regime proliferation rules.

[121] In July 2024, according to a spealized military source, the Brazil's newest Tamandaré-class frigates are fitted to launch the TLAM variant, nonetheless the vessels are not yet equipped with the missile.