INTREP360 Quick Take: Tomahawk missiles
Will President Trump approve the sale of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine?
President Donald Trump is set to approve the sale of the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) to Ukraine; however, on Monday he told reporters he wanted to know what Ukraine planned to do with U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles before agreeing to supply them.
He went on to say he does not want to escalate Russia’s war against Ukraine.
But what the President does not seem to understand is that this is a response to a Russian escalation. The Kremlin is attacking Ukrainian cities with ballistic/cruise missiles and drones. Many of the cruise missiles are delivered by Russian bombers launched from airfields deep within the Russian interior. Ballistic missiles are also being launched from mobile/static launch sites deep within the Russian interior as well. Many of these missiles and drones are supplied from North Korea and Iran.
Russian air defenses have proven to be ineffective against Ukrainian deep strike weapons. The Tomahawk missile could tip momentum back to Ukraine, just as the introduction of HIMARS did in the summer of 2022.
The Tomahawk missile is a precision deep strike weapon with a range of 1,500 miles. It comes in two variants: (1) a 1,000-lb class blast/fragmentary unitary warhead for pinpoint targets, and (2) one with 166 combined-effects bomblets for area targets.
The missile flies at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds – enabling it to evade radar and air defense systems – and is piloted over an evasive route by several mission tailored guidance systems.
But what separates it from other munitions is its ability to loiter over or near a target – allowing it to strike at the most opportune moment.
It is the exact weapon system Ukraine needs to accomplish the “Stop Strategy” article published last week here on our Substack page – specially to Stop the Bleeding and Stop the Flow of Russian forces into Ukraine.
Its range and precision deep strike capability puts Russian airfields at risk, along with ballistic missile launch sites, their storage facilities, and drone production/assembly plants at risk as well.
Furthermore, assembly areas, marshaling areas, and ports of debarkation (highways, airports, seaports, railheads) in Russia can be struck for interdiction purposes.
This would allow Ukraine to continue to use their own organic weapons to Stop the Funding – targeting Russian oil refineries.
There are plenty of targets to choose from. In their October 5 Russian Military and Security Service Objects within Range of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles in the Russian Federation release, the Institute for the Study of War identified at least 1,945 known Russian military objects within Tomahawk range, including 76 air bases.
The top three targets in our opinion would include: (1) Engels 2 airbase – TU 95 bombers, (2) Shahed drone factories in Yelabuga and Tatarstan, and (3) the Kerch Strait bridge.
Of course Putin will consider this as an escalation. This munition has the capability to enable Ukraine to defeat Russian forces – Putin has no counter. No longer would there be sanctuary afforded within the Russia interior for the Kremlin to continue launching their attacks into Ukraine.
This is the leverage Trump needs to get Putin to stop. The only message he understands – a punch in the face.