Tomahawk: The long-range cruise missile that could enable Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russia
The Ukrainian president has asked the US to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles which would enable Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly asked US president Donald Trump for the missiles during a meeting on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly.
Mr Zelensky is believed to have told the US president that the hi-tech weapon system would help to bring Russian president Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and would even allow Kyiv's forces to target the Kremlin.
Donald Trump's shifting tone
In recent weeks, Mr Trump's tone on Ukraine has changed dramatically, with the US president said to be "really angry" with Mr Putin for ignoring his attempts to end the three-and-a-half-year war.
Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, US vice president JD Vance was asked if the US would consider giving Tomahawks to Ukraine.
"It's something the President is going to make the final determination on," Mr Vance said.
"What the President is going to do is what's in the best interest of the United States of America.
"I know we're having conversations this very minute about the issue."
The Tomahawk
The BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile (TLAM) is an all-weather, jet-powered, sub-sonic cruise missile developed by the US in the early 1980s.
It has a range of 1,500 miles and uses inertial guidance or GPS to follow a preset course, as well as terrain contour matching (TERCOM).
As it flies towards its target, the missile compares a digital map with the terrain below and corrects its course.
Tomahawks are ship or submarine-launched, but the US has carried out tests on a ground-based launch system.
The BGM-109 came to prominence during the 1991 Gulf War when the US fired hundreds into Iraq to destroy Saddam Hussein's military infrastructure and command and control.
The US has deployed them during the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Yemen, and, more recently, 30 were fired against nuclear sites in Iran.
The Royal Navy operates the Tomahawk from its nuclear attack submarines and used them in combat during the wars in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Flamingo
At the same time as asking for Tomahawk, Kyiv is developing its own long-range cruise missile called the Flamingo, which its makers, Fire Point, claim is more advanced than the US weapon.
They say it is faster (590mph vs 550mph) and has a longer range (1,800 miles vs 1,500 miles) and that it has already been used to attack targets deep inside Russia.
Kyiv's previous attempts to get the missile
This is not the first time Mr Zelensky has asked for Tomahawks.
The New York Times reported last October that he made a similar request to former president Joe Biden as part of his so-called "Victory Plan".
That request was rebuffed by the former administration, with President Zelensky angry that the information had been leaked.
The United States has been Ukraine's most important source of military assistance since Russia's February 2022 invasion.
But so far, it has tried to avoid anything that might trigger nuclear-armed Russia into a wider conflict.
Washington does not allow Ukraine to fire long-range US weapons at military targets inside Russia despite repeated calls by Kyiv for a change in policy.
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