U.S. Typhon missile to stay in Philippines for now, top security official says

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MANILA (Reuters) -The U.S. military’s Typhon launchers which can fire multi-purpose missiles up to thousands of kilometres will stay in the Philippines for the time being, the national security adviser to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano told reporters the launchers will stay on Philippine shores “for now”, a day after Reuters reported that the launchers were moved to a new location within the island of Luzon from the northern Laoag airfield.

The Philippine military separately said on Friday the deployment of the launchers with mid-range capability was in line with Washington’s longstanding defence ties with the country.

“The primary objective of this deployment is to strengthen Philippine military readiness, improve our familiarisation and interoperability with advanced weapon systems, and support regional security,” armed forces spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla said in a statement. 

The weapon’s presence on Philippine territory drew sharp rebukes from China when it was first deployed in April 2024 during military exercises. Beijing accused the Philippines on Thursday of creating tension and confrontation in the region, urging it to “correct its wrong practices”.

Treaty allies the United States and the Philippines “coordinate closely on all aspects of the MRC deployment, including its positioning”, Padilla said.

The Typhon launchers can fire multi-purpose missiles up to thousands of kilometres such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines. The SM-6 missiles it carries can strike air or sea targets more than 200 km (165 miles) away.

“These arrangements reflect shared operational considerations and mutual consultations between our two nations,” Padilla said.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty and Michael Perry)