No, we’re not talking about the weather disturbance that regularly originates from the Pacific Ocean and brings gusty rains and sometimes gale-force winds to our eastern seaboard, causing massive floods and death and destruction in its wake.
We’re talking about Typhon, a mid-range launcher for Standard MS-6 and Tomahawk missiles developed by the United States Army. The weapon is named after Typhon, a figure in Greek mythology, often described as a giant and the father of all monsters, with hundreds of snake-like heads and is associated with storms and chaos.
Typhon was first fielded by the US Army in June 2023 with the successful launch of a Tomahawk missile. In April 2024, the US Army operationally deployed Typhon batteries to the Philippines via a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster to an unidentified airfield in Northern Luzon for the Salaknib 2024 joint military exercises.
According to US Army officials, from that position in Luzon, Typhon’s missiles could cover not only the entire Luzon Strait but also reach the Chinese coast and various People’s Liberation Army bases in the South China Sea.
This could be a game-changer in the ongoing tense situation in the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine defense officials, however, clarified that the system was not used in live-fire exercises, but were used to train AFP troops on how to handle and maintain the missile system. The system was also employed during the Balikatan 24 exercises.
On July 4, reports citing statements by military officials indicated that the system could be withdrawn from the country “in the next several months.” A spokesperson for the Philippine Army later said the deployment of the Typhon missile system in the Philippines could be extended beyond September 2024, pending evaluation on whether the objectives of training exercises were met.
On September 4, 2024 a top official of the US Army announced the future deployment of the Typhon missile system to Japan as part of a Multi-Domain Task Force.
The deployment of the Typhon in the Philippines by the United States has enraged Beijing, claiming that it appears to be part of Washington’s effort to stoke an arms race that could threaten peace and stability in the region.
But look who’s talking. Hasn’t China surreptitiously built artificial islands in parts of the South China Sea facing the Philippines where it has built airstrips and fortifications, and even installed missile sites ostensibly as part of a defensive military strategy? So why can’t the Philippines ask the US, its longstanding treaty ally, to assist our military in achieving a credible deterrence posture amid China’s frenzied military build-up in the South China Sea?
