Russia to use US Tomahawks to reverse engineer missiles, improve own weaponry

Monitoring Desk

MOSCOW: Russia’s Defense Ministry has been examining Tomahawk missiles that failed to detonate during the U.S.-led airstrike against the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capabilities on April 14, according to Russian sources.

Russian Col. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy said the U.S. cruise missiles were “being examined,” and that “the results of this work will be used to improve Russian weapons.”

‘We will learn how to destroy them’

According to Popular Mechanics, the missiles seized by Russia are “invaluable” as they will be examined by Russian researchers who could reverse engineer them and employ that knowledge to develop their own weapons capable of destroying the U.S.-made Tomahawks.

The intact Tomahawks that failed to detonate will be used as “lab rats” as Russian commanders attempt to unlock these missiles’ target lock-on mechanisms, which reports say will only be the beginning for these “hostage” Tomahawks’ long slow “deaths.”

U.S.-led airstrikes against Syrian regime targets on April 14 in response to the chemical attack in Douma last week are said to have cost approximately $240 million, according to military specialists.

On April 14, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S., the U.K. and France jointly launched strikes targeting the Assad regime’s alleged chemical weapons capabilities after a suspected chemical attack killed dozens outside of Damascus.

Following the strike, regime sources refuted Western media claims by saying that Syrian defenses managed to destroy 71 of the 103 missiles fired, discrediting reports that claimed the strike was successful.

According to military specialists, the operation had cost approximately $240 million when taking into account the cost of the missiles, jets and other elements that were involved in the strike.