The senior Philippine government official disclosed that the United States has relocated the “Typhon” missile launch system from the Laoag Airport in the Philippines to another location on the island of Luzon. The “Typhon” system is capable of launching medium-range multi-purpose missiles, covering military targets in China and Russia.
According to reports from Reuters, a senior official from the Philippine government revealed that the redeployment of the “Typhon” system will help determine where and how quickly the missile system can move to a new launch site. This mobility will enhance the system’s survivability in combat.
Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in non-proliferation and geopolitics from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, commented that satellite images show that in recent weeks, the “Typhon” missile system and related equipment at Laoag International Airport have been loaded onto C-17 transport planes.
In April 2024, the United States deployed the “Typhon” missile system on the northern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines for its annual joint military exercises with its Asian ally, the Philippines. This marks the first deployment of a medium-range missile system in Asia by the United States since the Cold War.
Developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army, the “Typhon” missile launch system can carry multi-purpose missiles with a range of several thousand kilometers. The “Standard 6” (SM-6) supersonic missiles carried by the “Tomahawk” cruise missile in this launch system are capable of targeting air or sea targets over 200 kilometers away.
The deployment of the “Typhon” missile launch system by the U.S. military in the First Island Chain not only covers the entire Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait but also encompasses military targets along China’s eastern coast, the South China Sea, and its vicinity.