Russian Navy Commander: US Tomahawk missiles are a real threat to Russia

American Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles pose a threat to Russia's military security, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Evmenov said.

Warships armed with Tomahawk missiles conducting patrolling missions on a permanent basis constitute a factor that affects the formation of threats to Russia's security, the admiral said. Tomahawk missiles are capable of delivering a massive missile strike on targets across most of Russia.

As for other factors, the commander-in-chief of the Navy named the following:

• the presence of powerful groups of naval forces of foreign states in the Atlantic, Pacific oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea;
• plans of foreign states to violate Russia's interests in the Arctic by revising the status of the Northern Sea Route for the possible passage of warships;
• active deployment of the naval missile defence component in the forward zones of naval groups; exploration of the Arctic region by nuclear submarines of US and British navies;
• the creation and modernisation of military infrastructure facilities in the foreign Arctic.

The Russian Navy and other divisions of the Russian Armed Forces should be prepared to ensure strategic nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence and protect the national interests of the Russian Federation in the World Ocean, Nikolay Evmenov believes.

US submarines to be armed with Tomahawk missiles in 2024

The US Navy intends to equip submarines with Tomahawk anti-ship missiles in 2024. The new weapon is designed to counter China, Bloomberg says. Maritime Strike Tomahawk cruise missiles will be deployed on submarines after October 1, 2024. The head of the Tomahawk development program, Captain John Hersey, noted that the new versions of the renowned weapon would have an improved guidance system to hit moving targets at sea. The missile range is believed to reach 1,600 kilometres.

The missiles will be installed on board Los Angeles and Virginia class submarines that can carry Tomahawk missiles to attack ground targets.

Russia's Kalibrs counters USA's Tomahawks

Military expert Yuri Knutov, director of the Museum of Air Defence Forces believes that Russia's Kalibr cruise missiles were created in response to the American Tomahawks. When hitting a target at a distance, a Kalibr missile performs a "slide” and attacks the target at Mach 3 speed, which makes it impossible to intercept and shoot down the missile, the specialist added.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers of the US Navy are the main carriers of Tomahawk cruise missiles. The US Navy has over ten Ticonderoga-class cruisers and about 70 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.