The US military will not conduct real Typhon firing exercises in the Philippines
The US Army will not conduct an actual firing of its medium-range missile system, known as Typhon, during exercises in the Philippines this spring, according to the commander of the service in charge of US Army operations in the Pacific.
"We have no plans to conduct real fire in the Philippines at this time," Maj Gen Jeffrey VanAntwerp, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and training at the US Army Pacific, told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday.
The news comes nearly a year after the Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force transported a Typhon launcher to Luzon, Philippines, as part of that year's Salaknib exercise - marking the first time the new capability, considered vital to US Army strategy in the Indo-Pacific, had been deployed. The missile system travelled more than 8,000 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, aboard a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft in a 15-hour flight.
Since then, Typhon has remained in the country, raising the ire of China, which criticised the move and warned that it could destabilise the region. The authorities have not yet fired the missile system in the Philippines.
It is unclear how long Typhon will remain in the Philippines or whether it will be transferred elsewhere in the Pacific theatre.
In response to a question about where the system might be headed, VanAntwerp said, "We are making plans, but I have to defer to the [Office of the Secretary of Defence]."
The Lockheed Martin-built system, consisting of a vertical launch system using Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk missiles built by the Navy's Raytheon, can hit targets in the range of 500 to 2,000 kilometres. The complete system has a battery operations centre, four launchers, main vehicles and modified trailers.
The missile system is capable of sinking ships, hitting long-range land targets and is 'mobile and survivable,' VanAntwerp said.
As part of this year's Salaknib and Balikatan military exercises between the US and the Philippines, the Philippine Navy plans to fire C-Star, Spike Non-Line-of-Sight and Mistral missiles. The country's armed forces will not fire their medium-range supersonic cruise missile Brahmos, which has a higher cost per hit.
Typhon's presence in the Philippines has prompted other countries in the Pacific region to inquire about the possibility of hosting the weapon system, a US defence official recently told Defense News.
The Army knew that Typhon would have a strong deterrent effect, but did not expect it to be as great as it has been over the past year, the official said, particularly in stirring up China.
The biggest challenge now is to transport the capacity across the Pacific - if the desire is to rotate it between countries - because of the high costs of handling equipment, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Army's 3rd MDTF, based in Hawaii, is soon to receive its Typhon battery, which the service has certified to JBLM.
"We are constantly looking for opportunities to exercise capabilities like that going forward in theatre," Col Michael Rose, commander of the 3rd MDTF, said recently. "We learn huge lessons by bringing capabilities into theatre."
Rose said the Army expects Typhon to support Operation Pathways, a series of year-round exercises designed to strengthen cooperation with regional allies and deter China.
Published by Condoralex
Born Alessandro Generotti, C.le Maj. Parachutist on leave. Military Parachutist Patent no. 192806. 186th RGT Par. Folgore/5th BTG. Par. El Alamein/XIII Cp. Par. Condor.
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