what countries have tomahawk missiles
The Tomahawk cruise missile is American-made and only a small number of countries are known to operate or have formally acquired it.
Core answer: who has Tomahawk missiles?
Based on open, credible defense sources, the Tomahawk is officially listed as being possessed or operated by:
- United States â Originator, primary developer and main operator of all Tomahawk variants in the U.S. Navy.
- United Kingdom â The Royal Navy has integrated Tomahawk missiles on its submarines and uses them for longârange landâattack strikes.
- Australia â Has recently joined the group of Tomahawk users; the Royal Australian Navy acquired Tomahawks for Hobartâclass destroyers and successfully fired its first Tomahawk in late 2024.
- Japan â Is in the process of acquiring around 400 Tomahawk missiles from the United States as a stopâgap longârange strike capability, with deliveries and deployment framed as part of a broader U.S.âJapan strategy in the Western Pacific.
- Netherlands â The U.S. approved the sale of up to 175 Tomahawk landâattack cruise missiles to the Netherlands, expanding its future arsenal.
A key technical reference from CSISâs Missile Threat project explicitly lists the Tomahawk as âpossessed by: United States, United Kingdom,â reflecting confirmed current operators, while noting its U.S. origin. More recent reporting and defense commentary add Australia, Japan, and the Netherlands as buyers or new adopters in the midâ2020s.
Simple HTML table (countries and status)
html
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Country</th>
<th>Status with Tomahawk missiles</th>
<th>Notes</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>United States</td>
<td>Primary operator</td>
<td>Developer and main user of Tomahawk; deployed on numerous U.S. Navy ships and submarines.[web:1][web:4][web:9]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>United Kingdom</td>
<td>Current operator</td>
<td>Royal Navy uses Tomahawk missiles on submarines for longârange landâattack missions.[web:1][web:9]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Australia</td>
<td>New operator</td>
<td>Royal Australian Navy acquired Tomahawks for Hobartâclass destroyers; first test firing reported in late 2024.[web:1]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Japan</td>
<td>Acquiring</td>
<td>Japan is buying about 400 Tomahawk missiles as an interim longârange strike capability in cooperation with the U.S.[web:1][web:5]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Netherlands</td>
<td>Approved sale</td>
<td>U.S. approved sale of up to 175 Tomahawk landâattack cruise missiles to the Netherlands.[web:1]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Quick context for your âQuick Scoopâ
- The Tomahawk is a longârange, lowâflying, precision landâattack cruise missile originally developed by the United States.
- It has become a central part of U.S. and allied longârange strike doctrine since the early 1990s.
- Recent âlatest newsâ angles focus on Japan and Australia joining the Tomahawk club and NATO partners like the Netherlands moving to buy them in response to changing security conditions.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.