US Army plans Australia test of missile launcher that has irked China

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Army plans to conduct a live shot with its Typhon missile system in Australia this summer during the Talisman Sabre exercise , marking the first firing of the long-range strike weapon on foreign soil, according to Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano, program executive officer for missiles and space.

The Army will deploy its second battery and will fire an SM-6 missile from the system’s launcher, he told Defense News in an exclusive interview at Redstone Arsenal amid the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium.

The other Typhon battery, also referred to as the Mid-Range Capability missile system, was transported to Luzon, Philippines, in the spring of 2024 as part of the Salaknib exercise, marking the first time the new capability, deemed vital to the U.S. Army’s Indo-Pacific strategy, was deployed.

The mobile, ship-sinking system has remained in the country since then, much to the disapproval of China.

The Typhon launcher traveled more than 8,000 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, aboard a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft on a 15-hour flight.

The Army has not conducted any live-fire exercises with the system in the Philippines yet and does not plan to do so during this year’s Salaknib or Balikatan , which will kick off later this spring.

The Lockheed Martin-built system , consisting of a vertical launch system that uses the Navy’s Raytheon-built Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk missiles, can strike targets in the 500- to 2,000-kilometer range. The complete system has a battery operations center, four launchers, prime movers and modified trailers.

Defense News first reported the Army’s plan to pursue the midrange missile in September 2020. The Army fielded the capability in less than three years.

While the first Typhon battery belongs to the 1st Multidomain Task Force in the Pacific, the second battery is for the 3rd MDTF.

The Army is building these formations to be dedicated to specific theaters and designed to address specific military needs in those regions. There will be five MDTFs in total and three will be dedicated to the Pacific. The 2nd MDTF is in Europe and the 5th, which has yet to be formed, will be stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and will be designed for rapid deployment where it is needed.

The first two batteries were fielded to JBLM and the Army is now getting ready to take receipt of the third battery from its producers, according to Lozano. That battery will go to Europe’s 2nd MDTF.

The service obligated funds last year to build the fourth battery, he noted.

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔——据导弹与太空项目执行官弗兰克·洛萨诺少将称，美国陆军计划今年夏天在澳大利亚举行的“护身军刀”演习期间，使用其“台风”导弹系统进行实弹射击，这将标志着这种远程打击武器首次在外国领土上进行发射。

他在红石兵工厂举行的美国陆军协会全球力量研讨会期间接受《防务新闻》独家采访时表示，陆军将部署其第二个导弹连，并从该系统的发射器发射一枚SM-6导弹。

另一套“台风”导弹系统（也称为中程能力导弹系统）于 2024 年春季运往菲律宾吕宋岛，作为“萨拉克尼布”演习的一部分，这标志着这项被认为对美国陆军印太战略至关重要的新能力首次部署。

从那时起，这种移动式沉船系统就一直留在该国，这引起了中国的强烈不满。

Typhon 发射器从华盛顿州刘易斯-麦科德联合基地出发，搭乘 C-17 环球霸王运输机，经过 15 小时的飞行，行程超过 8000 英里。

陆军尚未在菲律宾使用该系统进行任何实弹演习，也不打算在今年春季晚些时候开始的“萨拉克尼布”或“肩并肩”联合军演期间进行此类演习。

这套由洛克希德·马丁公司制造的系统，包括一个垂直发射系统，使用海军雷神公司制造的标准-6型导弹和战斧导弹，射程可达500至2000公里。整套系统包括一个作战指挥中心、四个发射装置、牵引车和改装拖车。

《防务新闻》于 2020 年 9 月率先报道了陆军研发中程导弹的计划。陆军在不到三年的时间内就实现了这一能力。

第一套 Typhon 导弹系统属于太平洋第一多域特遣部队，第二套则属于第三多域特遣部队。

陆军正在组建这些部队，专门负责特定战区，并旨在满足这些地区特定的军事需求。总共将有五个多部门联合特遣队（MDTF），其中三个将部署在太平洋地区。第二MDTF位于欧洲，第五MDTF尚未组建，将驻扎在北卡罗来纳州布拉格堡，并根据需要快速部署到任何地点。

据洛萨诺称，前两节电池已部署到刘易斯-麦科德联合基地（JBLM），陆军目前正准备从生产商处接收第三节电池。这节电池将配属给欧洲第二多管特遣部队（2nd MDTF）。

他指出，军方去年已拨款用于建造第四座电池。

珍·贾德森是一位屡获殊荣的记者，为《防务新闻》报道陆地战争。她也曾为《政治报》和《内幕防务》工作。她拥有波士顿大学新闻学硕士学位和凯尼恩学院文学学士学位。