What are Tomahawk missiles that US used to destroy Iranian nuclear sites? Their features…, closely connected to Iraq’s Saddam Hussain
New Delhi: The US military struck three nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan in Iran on Sunday, 22 June 2025 using bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles. US President Donald Trump hailed the strikes and claimed that the Iranian nuclear sites have been completely obliterated. The USA launched six massive 30,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ bombs and 30 Tomahawk missiles. While the bunker buster bombs were dropped by B-2 bombers, the Tomahawk missiles were launched from submarines 400 miles away.
The US forces used the Tomahawk missiles during the previous term of Donald Trump as the POTUS. It was in 2017 that the USA launched Tomahawk missiles in Syria in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians.
About Tomahawk missiles
The Tomahawk are intermediate-range cruise missiles with a range of around 800 miles (1,250 kilometers) to 1500 miles (2,500 kilometers). They were first used in the military campaign against Iraq under Saddam Hussain during Operation Dust Storm in the 1991 Gulf War.
They are fired from the sea and travel relatively low to the ground. They are guided by an advanced navigation system which allowed the US Navy to use them to attack Iran from submarines located 400 miles away.
The USP of Tomahawk missiles
The Tomahawk is a long-range, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile designed for precise land-attack missions. It can operate in all weather conditions. They are guided using a combination of GPS, inertial navigation systems, and terrain-matching technology, enabling them to hit specific, fixed targets with high accuracy.
Tomahawk missiles follow a non-linear path, so they cannot be shot down. They can carry a 1,000-pound conventional warhead or cluster munitions.
Tomahawks have been a staple in major US operations such as during the 1991 Gulf War, 2003 Iraq War, Syria in 2017 and 2018, 2011 Libya, 2025 Iran. Tomahawk missiles are valued for delivering precision from long distances with minimal risk to personnel.
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