MANILA, Philippines – Kinumpirma ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ang kauna-unahang pagpapaputok ng United States Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system sa bansa bilang bahagi ng Balikatan 2026 exercises.
Ayon kay Balikatan spokesperson Colonel Dennis Hernandez, ginamit ang sistema nitong madaling araw ng Martes upang maglunsad ng Tomahawk land attack missile mula Tacloban Airport sa Leyte. Tumama ang missile sa target nito sa Laur, Nueva Ecija sa loob ng Fort Magsaysay, na may layong humigit-kumulang 630 kilometro.
“The weapon system that we used was the Typhon, the medium-range capable missile, armed with a Tomahawk missile designed to attack land-based targets at ranges of around 805 to 1,500 kilometers,” pahayag ni Hernandez.
Nilinaw niya na ang ginamit na missile ay inert o walang explosive payload at layuning sukatin lamang ang accuracy nito.
“This is the first time that the Typhon MRC has been fired here in the Philippines,” aniya. “However, the munition is inert—wala siyang high explosive. Impact lang ang mini-measure natin.”
Isinagawa ang launch bilang bahagi ng crossover ng Salaknib at Balikatan exercises sa ilalim ng Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) Exportable.
Nakilahok din ang mga sundalong Pilipino sa operasyon, kabilang sa launcher at command-and-control center, bilang bahagi ng pagsasanay sa targeting at missile operations.
“These are personnel who, in the future, [will operate similar missile systems] if we are going to have a missile system… So, this is part of building their technical knowledge and capability,” ani Hernandez.
Dagdag niya, ipinakita ng Tomahawk missile ang mataas na precision strike capability at kayang tumama sa maliliit na target kahit mula sa malayong distansya.
“The missile can hit targets as small as a window,” aniya.
Giit ng AFP, hindi ito nakatuon laban sa anumang bansa.
“Again, this activity is not directed to any country. Pinapalakas lang natin ang ating kakayahan, ang ating kaalaman pagdating sa advanced technology,” sabi ni Hernandez.
Dagdag pa niya, hindi pa tiyak na bibili ang Pilipinas ng naturang sistema, ngunit mahalaga ang kaalamang makukuha mula rito para sa posibleng paggamit ng mga katulad na teknolohiya sa hinaharap.
Samantala, binatikos ni ACT Teachers Representative at Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio ang pagsasanay at sinabing “an extremely alarming escalation” ang paggamit ng Tacloban Airport bilang launch site at “live-fire testing of an offensive weapon system on Philippine soil.”
