Tomahawk missiles would be a gamechanger for Ukraine – they’re so hard to defend against
Tomahawk missiles could significantly expand Ukraine’s strike capabilities.
Donald Trump has not yet signed off on providing the long-range missiles to Kyiv, but if he did, Ukraine would be able to hit targets deep inside Russian territory. This includes military bases, logistics hubs, airfields, and command centres currently beyond reach.
Michael Clarke says Tomahawk missiles came to prominence in 1991 and were an immediate revelation because they were so accurate.
“They’re not that fast – maybe around 550mph or 600mph – but they’re very accurate.”
Clarke says you wouldn’t need to use several missiles to destroy a target – only one will do for a “useful amount of damage”.
“They’re very low and it’s very hard to defend against different sorts of navigation system they can use,” he says.
“They can be inertial navigation, which is where you just point it at the target, GPS guidance or military versions of GPS, or it can be, terrain following, so it can look at the terrain it’s going over.”
“Our Royal Navy used them on submarines and can use them on ships. There’s an air launched version as well,” Clarke adds.
“The most recent is the ground launch version, which the Americans really only adopted the last couple of years.
“If the Ukrainians are to get them, I’m pretty sure it will be the ground launch version, because they don’t have the ships or submarines to launch them.”