Might Israel Finally Acquire Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Under Trump?

Forbes

01-05-2025

Under the current Trump administration, which is eager to increase arms exports and open to selling long-range munitions, Israel could probably secure an acquisition of the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile if it wanted. The U.S. turned down an Israeli request for these offensive weapons decades ago. Israel's subsequent advancements in missile development in the intervening quarter century may have lessened its previous interest in America's most iconic cruise missile.
President Trump signed an executive order on April 9 aimed at loosening rules U.S. defense firms must follow when exporting weapons. The order claims Washington is presently 'unable to provide weapons systems in a reliable, effective way to key allies of ours.'
The first Trump administration unilaterally reinterpreted how the U.S. would adhere to the Missile Technology Control Regime, which advises signatories not to export drones or cruise missiles with ranges exceeding 186 miles and payloads over 1,000 pounds. The Biden administration also updated policy guidance for Washington's MTCR implementation, authorizing the U.S. to export long-range ballistic and cruise missile systems.
While the Tomahawk's conventional warhead weighs about 1,000 pounds, it can accurately strike targets 1,000 miles away, well beyond the MTCR's recommended range. The U.S. only exported the cruise missile to the United Kingdom for decades. That has recently changed dramatically.
Australia is the third Tomahawk operator. Its navy test-fired the cruise missile for the first time in December 2024. The Netherlands quickly followed suit, launching its first one from one of its naval frigates this March. Amsterdam formally requested an acquisition of 175 Tomahawk Block V and Block IV missiles in a deal valued at $2.19 billion in April. Japan also signed an agreement for 400 Tomahawks in early 2024.
Therefore, the prospect of an acquisition by Israel, another key U.S. ally, is certainly possible in this current climate. Israel expressed interest in a potential Tomahawk purchase back in 1996. It requested the cruise missile again in 2000 as part of a broader arms package in return for a possible peace deal with Syria that would have included returning the Golan Heights to Damascus.
Needless to say, no such peace deal happened, and Israel again turned inward to develop its own cruise missiles. Soon thereafter, it unveiled a ground-launched version of its Delilah air-launched cruise missile, the Delilah-GL, which had a much shorter range of approximately 180 miles. Israel would later go on to develop unique air-launched ballistic missiles, many with MTCR-compliant ranges, since it intends to export them.
Israel also has land-based Jericho ballistic missiles, with the Jericho 3 purportedly being an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range and speed exceeding that of the subsonic Tomahawk. However, Israel reserves these strategic missiles for a doomsday scenario involving the use of its undeclared nuclear weapons rather than for conventional strikes and wars.
Israelis occasionally question why their country doesn't have conventional surface-to-surface missiles like the Tomahawk. For example, when the Houthis in Yemen successfully struck Tel Aviv with a fatal drone in July 2024, Israel retaliated with Operation Outstretched Arm. As the name implies, the operation entailed the Israeli Air Force flying fighter jets, including its fifth-generation F-35I Adir, and tankers 1,118 miles to strike back.
'Given the complexity and risks involved in such operations, it is worth considering why Israel has not yet developed a 'standoff weapon' like the American Tomahawk missile or the Russian Kalibr,' noted an August 2024 Jerusalem Post editorial. 'Such a weapon would allow Israel to strike distant targets without the need for a large fleet of aircraft or risking pilots' lives, especially in a multi-arena campaign scenario.'
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has repeatedly advocated the establishment of a dedicated missile corps for the Israeli military since at least 2018 and warned against relying too much on the air force. Israel developed ALBMs for the air force, enabling them to hit targets at greater standoff ranges, rather than a separate SSM force. The IAF demonstrated the capabilities of these ALBMs during its April and October 2024 airstrikes against strategic targets deep inside Iran.
Since its inception, the Tomahawk has long served aboard American and British warships and submarines, with upcoming operators also planning on introducing the missile to their respective navies.
Israel's German-built Dolphin diesel-electric submarines are known to carry Israeli-made Popeye Turbo submarine-launched cruise missiles. Interestingly, their testing and introduction did not come long after the U.S. declined Israel's request for the Tomahawk in the year 2000. Little is known for sure about this missile's capabilities or whether Israel ever intends to use them as conventional weapons. Israel's Dolphins are believed to provide it with a second-strike capability in the event of a nuclear attack, meaning it's likely those Popeye Turbo SLCMs, much like the land-based Jericho missiles, are reserved for a nuclear war.
If Israel ever does seek Tomahawks again, it may not want them for its navy. And with the recent introduction of the Typhon transporter erector launcher, officially named the Strategic Mid-range Fires System, the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile can also serve as a land-based SSM. The SMRF can also fire the U.S. Navy's Standard SM-6 missile, which the U.S. Navy has used against Houthi missiles and drones that have also menaced Israel since 2023. The SM-6 can counter aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and even ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. It can also serve as an anti-ship missile.
Israel already has one of the world's densest, multilayered, technologically advanced air defense systems. However, repeated attacks, including two ballistic missile barrages from Iran, have put it under strain, and the U.S. has helped bolster and reinforce it by deploying two Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems.
The U.S. recently deployed the SMRF in the Philippines. A similar deployment or transfer to Israel could reinforce that country's protection against incoming missiles—Israel recently retired its long unloved American MIM-104 Patriot PAC-2 systems—and give it a formidable, long-range surface-to-surface missile.
Israel would undoubtedly welcome an American deployment of the SMRF but may not prioritize acquiring the launcher or the defensive and offensive missiles it launches, even if the opportunity arises. While proponents of a missile corps like Lieberman may welcome such an acquisition, Israel has doubled down on using the air force as its foremost tool for offensive operations. Its experience with the Patriot has also convinced it of the necessity of investing in developing indigenous air defenses to deal with missile threats.
Consequently, Israel will most likely focus on developing the next exoatmospheric Arrow missile and introducing the Iron Beam laser defense system for combating short-range threats.
Nevertheless, expect Israelis to occasionally question why their country doesn't have the Tomahawk missile or at least an indigenous Israeli-made equivalent.