If I were asked what has been the outstanding conventional warfare feature of the Syrian conflict, my response would be the deep-strike capability demonstrated by US Tomahawk and Russian Kalibr-NK cruise missiles. The war in Syria demonstrated the importance of the deep-strike capability of cruise missiles, which are more accurate at long distances than the more risky and expensive warplane strikes.
Ankara has decided it urgently needs deep-strike capability to hit critical targets hundreds of miles from its borders. Officials realize armed factions affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (the PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist group) will exist for years to come in Iraq and Syria. Long-range capability is a vital component of Turkey’s strategy to confront threats beyond its frontier.