The Tomahawk missiles have already been fired in the Gulf by the US and are likely to be among the first weapons used by the British military in the fight against Islamic State terrorists. A Royal Navy hunter-killer nuclear submarine carrying Tomahawks is already in place in the region awaiting targets for attack. The submarines loiter offshore before going to depth to fire the missiles, which can cover more than 850 miles, can be retargeted in flight and can loiter above a target for more than two hours.
