Tomahawk missiles: Explaining the weapons the US used to strike Syria

(CNN) — US President Donald Trump ordered military strikes against Syria on Thursday in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians, including children.

Two US warships in the eastern Mediterranean launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian government airbase, US officials said.

CNN’s military analysts said the Tomahawk was a good choice for this kind of attack.

“This is what the Tomahawk was made for. It gets in there low level and hits these fixed facilities with no risk to an air crew,” retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Francona said.

Tomahawks are intermediate-range cruise missiles, meaning they have a range of about 800 miles (1,250 kilometers) to 1500 miles (2,500 kilometers).

They are fired from sea and travel relatively low to the ground and guided by an advanced navigation system, which means the US could target the airbase in Syria from afar.

To read more on the missiles, click here.