US-made Tomahawk is a tried and tested missile – but it’s out of Ukraine’s reach for now

A Tactical "Tomahawk" Block IV cruise missile conducts a controlled flight test over the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) western test range complex in southern California. US Navy/AFP/Getty Images

The Tomahawk is the workhorse of the United States’ missile arsenal. It’s been deployed in strikes in Syria and Libya and was used extensively against former dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, in both the 1990s and in 2003.

About 30 of the cruise missiles were used as part of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

While not new, the Tomahawk remains effective and relatively cheap, at $2 million per missile. Depending on the variant, it can strike targets at a range of between 1,600 and 2,500 kilometers (1,000 to 1,600 miles).

That is not much greater than some o