PH, US fire Tomahawk missile for the first time

MANILA, Philippines—For the first time, Philippine and US forces fired the Typhon missile system or Mid-Range Capability armed with the Tomahawk land attack missile on Tuesday, a significant feat in the Exercise Balikatan 41-2026, the Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed. AFP Balikatan spokesman Col. Dennis Hernandez said this was the first time the MRC missile system was used in a live-fire exercise. It was staged from Tacloban Airport in Leyte, successfully hitting the target in Laur, Nueva Ecija - a 630-kilometer distance. “The weapon system that we used was the Typhon, the medium-range capable missile, armed with a Tomahawk missile designed to at least attack a land-based target which is around 805 to 1,500 kilometers,” Col. Dennies Hernandez, Balikatan 2026 spokesman, told reporters. He clarified that the missile used in the exercise was an inert round which means it carries no explosive payload and was used to measure accuracy [rather] than destructive impact. “This is the first time that the Typhon MRC has been fired here in the Philippines,” he said. The MRC used in the exercise was the same platform deployed to the Philippines in April 2024. The missile launch was part of the crossover of Salaknib Exercises through the Balikatan as participating troops continue simulating land-based scenarios of similar real-life situations.

Go to News Site