Why the US chose a Tomahawk missile to target Syria

The US Navy used one of its most often deployed weapons to target a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack.

The navy’s Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, shot up to 59 Tomahawk land attack missiles at 10.00am (AEDT).

The Tomahawks were fired from warships, the USS Porter and USS Ross, located in the eastern Mediterranean.

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A US official said the missiles targeted aircraft and runways at the base of al-Shayrat Airfield in Syria.

Tomahawks carry an explosive warhead weighing an estimated 453kg and are used to overwhelm airspaces.

One of the major benefits of the weapon is that it can be fired from a safe distance and “does not require a pilot to be anywhere near a potential target,” according to the Washington Post.

They can also be launched from attack submarines.

Tomahawks were also used by the Pentagon in September 2014, when US ships launched 47 Tomahawk missiles during the first night of strikes against ISIS in Syria.

While that strike and today’s targeted attack were sea-based, the bulk of US efforts against ISIS in Syria has been conducted from the air.

There have been 7500 coalition jet and drone strikes in the past three years.

Among the many air assets available to the United States are its high-tech F-22 Raptors, F-16s and  B-52 heavy bombers.

The F-22, which cost about A$478 million apiece, is considered the world's most advanced fighter currently operating, thanks to its ability to evade radar.

It can fly faster than Mach 2 and launch laser-guided bombs from kilometres away.

With AFP