The Philippine Army announced on Tuesday that the US military will test the Typhon medium-range missile system for the first time on Philippine soil as part of the upcoming Combined Arms Training Exercise (CATEX) Katihan.
The Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Typhon is a mobile ground-launched missile system used by the US Army (-> current news about the US armed forces) attacks with medium-range missiles. It closes the range gap created by the INF disarmament treaty (1987-2019). Developed by Lockheed MartinTyphon is based on a modular design that allows the use of different types of missiles such as the SM-6 and Tomahawk.
The Standard Missile 6 (SM-6), also known as the RIM-174 SM-6 ERAM (Extended Range Active Missile), is a highly sophisticated, versatile missile for ship and ground missions that is used as both a surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile. Developed by Raytheon for the United States Navy, the two-stage solid-fuel missile weighs 1,510 kilograms and carries a 113-kilogram warhead with a range of over 370 kilometers. The radar seeker comes from the AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missile.
The MRC can also fire Tomahawk cruise missiles (BGM-109 TLAM) with ranges of over 1,800 kilometers against targets on land and at sea.
The Typhon system’s mission focuses on precision strikes against high-value targets over medium distances, with a particular focus on defending against A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) threats. The aim is to keep the sea routes to the Philippines and Taiwan clear in the event of a conflict with China.
According to Colonel Louie Dema-ala, spokesman of the Philippine Army, the use of the Typhon missile launchers will be limited to Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs). The aim of the exercise is to familiarize Filipino soldiers with the capabilities of the system.
China described the deployment of Typhoon missile launchers by the USA in the Philippines as a step that “could provoke a geopolitical confrontation and an arms race”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning declared in a press conference that this move was “dangerous” and “extremely irresponsible”.
The Philippines reacted immediately to the Chinese concerns. “It is an inalienable right of every state to strengthen its defense accordingly,” stressed Colonel Marcel Margareth Padilla, spokesperson of the Philippine Army. “The Philippines has the right to independently decide on its defense strategies, including the deployment of US missile launchers on its territory,” an official statement from the Philippine Armed Forces read.
-> Apple Podcasts
-> Spotify
-> Podigee
-> Deezer
-> Youtube version
China, in turn, claims maritime areas and atolls in the South China Sea that are located within the internationally recognized 200-mile economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan. This is supported by the so-called “nine-dash line”.
Here for more news about the US armed forces.
