The United States is considering the supply of Tomahawk missiles to Kiev. What is the threat to Russia?

US President Trump: The decision on Tomahawk missiles is almost made

US President Donald Trump said that the decision on the supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine has been practically made. However, he did not explain what it was, and stressed that he was not seeking to escalate the situation.

At the end of September, it became known that Trump refused Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky's request to transfer Tomahawk cruise missiles. Kiev has repeatedly raised the issue of the supply of these weapons.

Tomahawks can hit various objects at long distances, but they are not considered the most difficult target for air defense systems. In the context of possible missile supplies to Kiev, the main obstacle remains the lack of suitable platforms.

The Tomahawk missile was adopted in the 1980s

In 1971, the US Navy began studying the creation of a strategic cruise missile with an underwater launch. In 1976, the BGM-109 Tomahawk rocket became the winner of the competition. At the same time, the United States was working on creating air- and ground-based versions.

The range of various modifications of the Tomahawks ranges from 870 to 2500 kilometers. The missiles carried various warheads, including cluster, high-explosive fragmentation, semi-armor-piercing and nuclear. Modern Tomahawk modifications with an optoelectronic correction system provide relatively high accuracy with a circular deviation of 5-10 meters.

2500 kilometers. Maximum range of Tomahawk missiles

The United States and Great Britain remain the main operators of the Tomahawks. In particular, these missiles are carried by American nuclear submarines of the Los Angeles type and British Astute type.

There are no Tomahawk platforms in Ukraine

After the return of the discussion about Tomahawks for Ukraine, many experts spoke about the difficulty of implementing this initiative. If relatively small mobile platforms are sufficient to launch ATACMS ballistic missiles, and the SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles have been adapted to Kiev's existing aircraft, the situation is different with the six-meter Tomahawk.

Kiev does not have ships capable of carrying KR, and projects to create aviation Tomahawks have long been closed. Only the land-based version of the Typhon complex remains.

The transfer of the Typhon complex to Kiev is considered unlikely

The latest system was adopted in 2023. It is based on a variation of the Mk41 shipboard vertical launch system. Therefore, it is also capable of using multi-purpose SM-6 missiles. The battery of the complex includes four mobile launchers, a command post, a transport and charging vehicle and a support vehicle.

However, the transfer of Typhon to Kiev, which is especially important for Washington in the context of a potential confrontation with Beijing, is considered unlikely. According to the Western edition of Army Recognition, even if the political barriers for such a step are eliminated, it will take a long time to prepare for the use of systems in Ukraine. Moreover, a complex of several modules on semi-trailers will not be the most difficult goal.

Tomahawk missiles can carry a nuclear charge

Tomahawks were originally developed as nuclear weapons. The basic version of the missile carried a W80 warhead with a capacity of up to 150 kilotons of TNT. The previous version of the land-based Tomahawk (GLCM) was also equipped with a nuclear warhead. The BGM-109G Gryphon, which was decommissioned under the terms of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-range and Shorter-range Missiles, carried a warhead with a capacity of 5-150 kilotons.

Therefore, the hypothetical transfer of the Tomahawks to Kiev could lead to another escalation of the conflict. "Such a delivery will contribute to the escalation extremely seriously. It will become the strongest destabilizing factor, which, of course, must be seriously responded to," said military expert Vadim Kozyulin.

Putin called Tomahawk a powerful weapon

Tomahawk missiles are not the most advanced weapons in their class. At the same time, it remains a dangerous means of destruction. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Tomahawk may pose a threat .

Military expert Dmitry Kornev emphasized that Russian air defense systems have experience in countering more advanced Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles. They were preparing for the confrontation with the Tomahawks back in the USSR, so we can assume that the algorithms for dealing with them are well developed. At the same time, it should be recognized that the possible appearance of a new weapon of destruction in the conflict zone will complicate the work of the Russian military.