HERE IS HOW MUCH 59 TOMAHAWK MISSILES COST THE US
The Trump government has launched 59 tomahawk missiles on a Syrian military airfield, which represents one of the most direct responses we've seen to the Bashar al-Assad regime.
While it is a direct diplomatic move, in military terms it's a relatively small-scale order to make – but that doesn’t mean it wasn't insanely expensive.
According to the US Department of Defence's annual budget, a single Tomahawk missile costs $1.59 million.
Combine that by the 59 missiles the US ordered to be fired off two warships in the Mediterranean Sea, and you're looking at a bill of around $94 million.
That sounds pretty costly, but in military terms the “Tactical Tomahawk Cruise Missile” is a relatively battle-proven weapon with origins that stretch back to the 1970s.
Designed to be deployed from the sea – either shot out of the torpedo tubes of submarines or fired from the decks of battleships – the Tomahawk is a long-range weapon that can hit targets without endangering the firer's life.
Because the Tomahawk is classed as a “cruise missile”, it flies at roughly the same speed all the way until it hits its target – a neck-breaking 890 km/h.
Depending on the type of fuel used in the missile, it has an operating range of up to 2,500 km, which means after firing it would take the Tomahawk just under three hours to reach a target at the end of its range.
One single missile weighs a staggering 1300 kg, is six metres long and usually carries a 450kg warhead designed to deliver precise but devastating damage.
While the Tomahawk isn't as devastating as some of the missiles carried on-board manned aircraft, it is typically used when Western nations want a long-range weapon that can be fired from safe territory.
The missiles were first deployed in 1991 during the Gulf War, and have been in service – albeit with costly tech upgrades – ever since.
The last time the US used Tomahawks was only in October last year, when the USS Nitze fired five missiles at three targets in Yemen in response to missiles being fired at American targets.