Tomahawk Failed to Reach Target in Syria: Will It Do Any Better for Japan?

Japan plans to buy 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles with the latest modification from the US, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Sputnik asked a military analyst about the technical characteristics of the upgraded Tomahawk, and most importantly, whether these improved missiles can really enhance Japan's defense capabilities.

So How Good Are These Missiles?

Tomahawks are best known for their use in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War. However, they have now become much "smarter" thanks to a new modification.

However, according to military expert Yuri Knutov, director of the Moscow Air Defense Museum, despite the improved "combat matrix," the Tomahawks remain vulnerable, as has already been demonstrated in Syria.

Smart Missile

"The new Tomahawk modification has three simultaneous levels of targeting. The first: it is guided by a digital map of the terrain (created by digitizing map sources). It includes an altimeter that measures and compares data sets: those that exist in reality and those that are programmed into the computer. The second is the GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite navigation system, which determines the location of the target using the global coordinate system WGS 84, indicating the distance and time it takes to approach it). The third system (which is actively being implemented) is the video image. It also identifies the real image with the one in the computer. It is the simultaneous use of three guidance systems that ensures the high efficiency of the new missile: accuracy, reliability and its strong protection against electronic warfare systems," the military expert said.

The quality of the "smart missile" lies in its characteristics - the ability to evade interception - which Prime Minister Kishida has identified as a top priority for Japan's security. It is reported that 211.3 billion yen ($1.6 billion) will be allocated for the purchase of Tomahawk missiles.

Meanwhile, their use in Syria has not been effective enough. Because even the latest modification does not always allow them to evade interception, Yuri Knutov noted.

Only 23 Out of 59 Reached

The US military launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a military airfield in the Syrian governorate of Homs in 2017, on the orders of then US President Donald Trump. However, only 23 missiles reached the airbase. The crash site of the remaining 36 cruise missiles is unknown.

Thus, the combat effectiveness of the massive American Tomahawk missile strike on the Syrian airbase is "extremely low," as Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, commented on those events in Syria.

"In terms of maneuverability, they are not much better than the old ones. A significant portion of the Tomahawks were either shot down by Syrian air defenses or diverted by radar. This shows that the means to counter the Tomahawk still exist, even if its defenses are being actively improved. Composite materials (invisible to radio waves and other types of electromagnetic radiation) are likely to be used more in the new version of the Tomahawk. However, despite this factor, Russian anti-aircraft missile systems: Pantsir and Tor-M2 are effective against the Tomahawks. So is the new-generation S-350 Vityaz system, which has already been dubbed "the cruise missile killer" in the United States, Turkiye and other countries," Yury Knutov pointed out.

Nevertheless, Japan is willing to spend and increase its military budget. Tokyo will purchase 500 Tomahawk missiles (with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers) from the United States by April 2027. As a result, China's coastal areas will be potentially within reach.

And such a waste of money on military needs is most likely related to another statement that is equally important, the military expert suggested.

The other day, the Japanese Defense Ministry said it was considering the possibility of placing US hypersonic surface-to-air missiles on Japanese territory.

"Meanwhile, Japan, as we know, was planning to develop its own hypersonic missile by 2035, but apparently it is still beyond its capabilities. It is also unable to create its own fifth-generation aircraft, so it had to buy American F-35 fighter jets. And to keep Tokyo from wasting money and energy on its own development, the US offered it protection in the form of US-made hypersonic missiles. However, these missiles are still under development, while Tokyo today needs a nuclear umbrella. Therefore, instead of its "mythical" hypersonic missiles, the United States offered to supply additional Tomahawk missiles of the latest modification, which are already in service," Yuri Knutov suggested.

In other words, from Washington's point of view, it is a kind of safety net: if the hypersonic missiles fail, the task of defending Japan will be taken over by Tomahawk cruise missiles.

But in fact, a hypersonic missile is an obvious "cat in the bag" for Japan.

And, as the events in Syria have shown, the latest version of the already field-proven Tomahawk has vulnerabilities, even with greater evasion capabilities.

In effect, Japan is abandoning its own scientific developments and handing them over to the US military monopoly. At the same time, Tokyo is spending more and more money on American weapons, filling Washington's coffers. In this way, it strengthens the economic and military power of the United States.

However, the reliability of the US nuclear umbrella for Japan is highly questionable. And confidence in relations with China, a powerful and reliable economic partner, is waning, bringing military conflict with it in the region closer.