In reaction to the alleged deployment of chemical weapons in killing civilians by Bashar al-Assad as part of the ongoing Syrian war, the United States on Thursday launched dozens of cruise missiles on the country’s airbase in order to destroy its chemical capacity.
Because the Russian warplanes and anti-aircraft rockets are stationed in Syria, the Tomahawk is set to be the mainstay of any future action against the regime of al-Assad.
So what makes the Tomahawk cruise missile special?
• The Tomahawk cruise missile is ideally suited for critical long-range, precision-strike missions against high-value targets.
• Tomahawks are a key weapon in the US military and are highly accurate.
• Tomahawk missiles are launched from ships and have a very long range.
• The intermediate-range cruise missiles have a range of about 800 miles to 1,500 miles and are equipped with a 1,000-pound conventional warhead.
• They are fired from sea and travel relatively low to the ground to avoid radar detection.
• Guided by an advanced navigation system, they can be steered to their targets from afar.
• The missiles were first used with great effect against late Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, in the 1990 Operation Desert Storm mission.
• They have been in operation ever since.
• Each Tomahawk missile cost about $832,000.
• US officials say 59 missiles were fired from the USS Porter and USS Ross warships which were positioned in the Mediterranean Sea.
• This would have cost the American taxpayer at least $49,088,000.
• Britain, a trusted ally of the US, has been allowed to buy Tomahawks.
Culled from The SUN (UK)
