U.S. to Deploy Additional Typhon Missile Systems to Philippines in 2026.

The United States plans to deploy additional Mid-Range Capability Typhon missile systems to the Philippines, expanding a posture first established in Northern Luzon in April 2024, according to an Associated Press report on February 17, 2026. The move signals deeper U.S. force integration under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and sharpens deterrence against China’s growing military pressure in the South China Sea.

The United States intends to send additional Mid-Range Capability, or MRC, Typhon missile systems to the Philippines, reinforcing a deployment that began in Northern Luzon in April 2024, The Associated Press reported on February 17, 2026. The announcement followed annual alliance talks in Manila under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, where U.S. and Philippine officials condemned China’s coercive actions in the South China Sea and confirmed plans to expand joint exercises and increase forward positioning of advanced missile and unmanned systems. Philippine officials said upgraded Typhon configurations could arrive in 2026, a step that may open the door to eventual local acquisition and longer-term basing arrangements.
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On July 16, 2025, the United States conducted its first Typhon live-fire exercise outside the continental United States in Australia’s Northern Territory, launching a Standard Missile-6. (Picture source: US DoD)

The current posture rests on the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Typhon missile system developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army as part of the 2018 National Defense Strategy modernization effort. Designed to bridge the gap between shorter-range tactical fires and longer-range strategic strike assets, the MRC provides a mobile, ground-launched precision strike option suited to contested anti-access and area-denial environments. The first battery was delivered in December 2022 and entered service in 2023. On April 8, 2024, Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, assigned to the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, deployed the system to Northern Luzon.

The Typhon launcher is mounted on a trailer towed by the M983A4 prime mover, a variant of the Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck configured in 8x8. The vehicle reaches speeds of up to 80 to 96 km per hour on paved roads and offers an operational range of roughly 480 kilometers, allowing repositioning across austere terrain. Each launcher integrates four vertical launch cells capable of carrying either Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) or Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles in sealed canisters. The system travels in a horizontal configuration and erects vertically before firing, reducing exposure during movement while preserving rapid launch capability.

The SM-6 measures approximately 5.9 meters in length, with a diameter of 30 centimeters and a launch weight of nearly 1,000 kilograms. Guided by active radar homing combined with inertial navigation and Global Positioning System updates, it can engage aerial and surface targets at ranges estimated between 240 and 320 kilometers. The Tomahawk, about 6.1 meters long and weighing around 1,300 kilograms, uses inertial navigation, satellite guidance, and terrain-contour matching to strike targets between 500 and 1,500 kilometers, depending on variant. Recent iterations incorporate anti-ship functionality, extending its role beyond traditional land-attack missions.

An MRC battery includes a Battery Operations Center connected to the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System and the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System, enabling integration into joint command-and-control networks. A dedicated reload trailer carries additional missile canisters, while a Battery Support Vehicle provides maintenance and logistical sustainment. This architecture allows the battery to operate as part of a broader sensor-to-shooter network, linking targeting data from maritime patrol aircraft, space-based assets, or allied platforms to land-based launchers.

Operational validation occurred on July 16, 2025, when the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force conducted the first live-fire of the MRC outside the continental United States during Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 in Australia. A ground-launched SM-6 struck and sank a maritime target, demonstrating land-based precision maritime strike capability and confirming joint targeting interoperability with Australian forces. The event underscored the viability of distributed land-based fires against naval formations operating in contested littorals.

Alongside the Typhon, the U.S. Marine Corps has deployed the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System armed with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). With a range of roughly 185 kilometers and an imaging-infrared seeker optimized for terminal target discrimination, the NSM follows a sea-skimming flight profile and performs evasive maneuvers during its final approach. Positioned in the Batanes islands facing the Bashi Channel, it strengthens anti-ship coverage across a maritime corridor linking the Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea.

Together, these deployments establish a layered land-based strike architecture along the northern Philippine arc. Mobile launchers complicate adversary targeting cycles and impose operational uncertainty on surface combatants transiting the Luzon Strait. The ability to hold high-value assets at risk, from air-defense nodes to logistics hubs, contributes to a deterrence posture anchored in precision, mobility, and networked command-and-control.

For the broader Indo-Pacific security environment, the decision to expand MRC Typhon deployments illustrates a shift toward distributed, ground-based long-range fires within allied territory. It reinforces the credibility of U.S. commitments to Manila while signaling to Beijing that maritime pressure campaigns will be met with tangible military countermeasures. As regional states assess their own force structures, the integration of mobile, land-based missile systems into alliance frameworks is likely to shape deterrence dynamics and strategic calculations across the Western Pacific in the years ahead.