ISW: Tomahawk missiles would significantly reduce Russian combat power on front
Photo: US Tomahawk cruise missile (navy.mil)
US Tomahawk cruise missiles will allow Ukraine’s Defense Forces to significantly degrade the combat effectiveness of the Russian army on the front line, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to analysts, Ukrainian forces are already capable of conducting long-range drone strikes across much of Russian territory, but the payloads of these drones remain limited and unsuitable for destroying specialized targets.
Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that US-made long-range Tomahawk missiles could solve this problem.
They estimate that within the range of the 2,500-kilometer Tomahawk variant, there are at least 1,945 Russian military targets, while the 1,600-kilometer modification would place at least 1,655 targets within reach.
ISW suggests that strikes with missiles carrying larger warheads deep into Russian rear areas could allow Ukraine’s Armed Forces to significantly damage or even destroy key military facilities on Russian territory.
"Ukraine’s ability to launch missile strikes deep into Russia’s rear with larger payloads would allow Ukraine to significantly damage, if not destroy, key military assets in Russia, such as the Shahed drone factory in Yelabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, or the Engels-2 Air Base in Saratov Oblast from which Russia sorties strategic bombers that fire air-launch cruise missiles at Ukraine," the report says.
The institute also noted that Ukraine has begun mass production of its new domestically developed FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, which has a range of 3,000 kilometers and a 1,150-kilogram warhead. However, testing of these missiles has not yet been completed, and Ukraine still needs time to scale up production.
Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine
At the end of September, Western media reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had asked US President Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles.
Washington is currently studying the proposal, but the final decision rests with Trump.
Sources cited by Reuters expressed doubts about the possible transfer, citing limited stockpiles and competing operational requirements for the missiles.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has strongly condemned the potential delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.
