A look at Tomahawk, a US cruise missile that could come in handy in the Ukraine war

axe The cruise missile has been in the US military’s inventory since the 1980s. Slow by missile standards, the cruise missile flies about 100 feet (about 30 meters) above the ground, making it difficult to detect by defense systems.

The missile also has an impressive range of about 1,000 miles and a precise guidance system that makes it a weapon to attack targets deep inland or in hostile territory. chairman donald trump has indicated he may give the Tomahawks ukraineWhich could make a significant difference for Kiev in a war with Moscow.

Last year, The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, located WashingtonIt is estimated that there will be approximately 4,000 Tomahawk missiles in the Navy’s inventory in 2023. However, he noted that this estimate would be before significant military action against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In defending against the Houthi attacks and launching counter-attacks, the Navy said ships of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group launched 135 Tomahawk missiles. That figure is only likely to increase after the strike group returns home in the summer of 2024 as Trump orders a month-long attack campaign against the group in the spring of 2025.

meanwhile, us Navy Is not ordering many new Tomahawk missiles. Pentagon budget documents show the Navy and Marine Corps will buy only 68 new missiles in 2023. The most recent budget documents show that the Navy will not buy any new missiles in the next years and the Marine Corps bought only 22 missiles last year. Neither the Marines nor the Navy requested to buy any new Tomahawk missiles in the latest budget.

In addition to declining stocks, several defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military policy more candidly and also expressed skepticism about offering the missile to Ukraine because there were questions about how it would be used.

While the United States launches Tomahawk missiles almost exclusively from ships or submarines, Ukraine does not have a navy with ships capable of carrying the 20-foot-long missile. The US military is developing a platform to launch missiles from the ground, but one official said the capability is still not ready, even for the US military.