Here Is What Tomahawk Missiles Could Do For Ukraine
Updated
- By RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump told reporters on October 6 that he had "sort of made a decision" about allowing Ukraine access to Tomahawk cruise missiles. If Washington does supply the advanced weapon, here is how it could change the battlefield dynamic between Moscow and Kyiv.
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An early iteration of the Tomahawk missile being tested over New Mexico in 1976.
The Tomahawk was developed in the 1970s amid Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union. The cruise missile is designed to fly long distances low enough to evade most radar while maintaining the speed of a passenger jet.
The Tomahawk was developed in the 1970s amid Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union. The cruise missile is designed to fly long distances low enough to evade most radar while maintaining the speed of a passenger jet.
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Combination photos show a Tomahawk detonating above a jet during testing in 1986.
The 5.5-meter-long missile is fitted with a warhead weighing nearly half a ton and can fly around 1,600 kilometers.
The 5.5-meter-long missile is fitted with a warhead weighing nearly half a ton and can fly around 1,600 kilometers.
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The Tomahawk's combination of range, speed, and destructive power makes the weapon unlike anything currently fielded by Ukraine.
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Each missile is equipped with complex internal navigation systems, and costs around $2 million.
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A Tomahawk cruising alongside a US Navy F-14 above southern California in 2002.
Kyiv has repeatedly called for access to long-range US missiles. In 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted that Kyiv had requested Tomahawks. A White House official at the time reportedly called the request “totally unfeasible.”
Kyiv has repeatedly called for access to long-range US missiles. In 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hinted that Kyiv had requested Tomahawks. A White House official at the time reportedly called the request “totally unfeasible.”
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British Navy personnel handle a Tomahawk missile at a naval base in the Indian Ocean in November 2001.
US President Donald Trump has voiced increasing frustration with Moscow over faltering peace negotiations. The potential supply of Tomahawks was reportedly revived recently amid the White House seeking to make the Kremlin “feel the pain” of the war it started.
US President Donald Trump has voiced increasing frustration with Moscow over faltering peace negotiations. The potential supply of Tomahawks was reportedly revived recently amid the White House seeking to make the Kremlin “feel the pain” of the war it started.
![A submarine-launched Tomahawk hits a target on San Clemente Island, a US Navy training and weapons-testing site off the Southern California coast, during a test in November 1998.During a phone call in early July, President Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy, “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? [...] Can you hit St. Petersburg too?” The Ukrainian president is reported to have replied: “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” On October 6, Trump indicated he was close to making a decision on allowing Kyiv access to Tomahawks but told reporters he would "ask some questions," about Ukraine's plans for the weapon, adding "I'm not looking to escalate that war."](https://gdb.rferl.org/a036e9d4-3ac5-4f2d-9386-08ddc37e21a1_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A submarine-launched Tomahawk hits a target on San Clemente Island, a US Navy training and weapons-testing site off the Southern California coast, during a test in November 1998.
During a phone call in early July, President Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy, “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? [...] Can you hit St. Petersburg too?” The Ukrainian president is reported to have replied: “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” On October 6, Trump indicated he was close to making a decision on allowing Kyiv access to Tomahawks but told reporters he would "ask some questions," about Ukraine's plans for the weapon, adding "I'm not looking to escalate that war."
During a phone call in early July, President Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy, “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? [...] Can you hit St. Petersburg too?” The Ukrainian president is reported to have replied: “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” On October 6, Trump indicated he was close to making a decision on allowing Kyiv access to Tomahawks but told reporters he would "ask some questions," about Ukraine's plans for the weapon, adding "I'm not looking to escalate that war."
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A US Navy vessel launches a Tomahawk missile in the Mediterranean Sea in March 2011.
It is unclear how Ukraine would handle the weapon, which is usually launched from naval ships or submarines. Tomahawks can be launched from some aircraft but a Ukrainian official acknowledged to reporters that Tomahawks, “are not easy to use” without strategic bomber aircraft, which Kyiv does not possess.
It is unclear how Ukraine would handle the weapon, which is usually launched from naval ships or submarines. Tomahawks can be launched from some aircraft but a Ukrainian official acknowledged to reporters that Tomahawks, “are not easy to use” without strategic bomber aircraft, which Kyiv does not possess.
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US Typhon systems, which are capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Newly developed ground-launchers exist for Tomahawks, but the technology is currently only fielded by the United States. Ground-launch systems for the cruise missile began to be developed after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019. The US-Russia agreement banned ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
Newly developed ground-launchers exist for Tomahawks, but the technology is currently only fielded by the United States. Ground-launch systems for the cruise missile began to be developed after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019. The US-Russia agreement banned ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
