In Japan, the Self-Defense Forces and the United States Armed Forces have announced that they will conduct joint exercises involving the deployment of mid-range missile systems, the Mid-Range Capability Launcher (MRC Launcher), known as Typhon.
The MRC Launchers will be operational at the United States Marine Corps base in Iwakuni during the Resolute Dragon 2025 exercise.
The Typhon missile systems will be deployed for the first time in Japan and, as stated at the presentation of Resolute Dragon 2025, they will be withdrawn at the end of the exercises.
In 2019, the United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, allowing them to deploy the Typhon mainly to contain China.
Features of the Typhon MRC Launcher
The Typhon complex can launch SM-6 multirole missiles, used for air defense, anti-missile, and anti-ship tasks, and BGM-109 Tomahawk Block V cruise missiles with a range exceeding 1,500 kilometers.
The Typhon, consisting of four launch containers on a semi-trailer, is derived from the US Navy’s VLS Mk 41 vertical launch system and is currently deployed by the US Army, which uses it precisely with Tomahawk and Standard SM-6 missiles.
The system is positioned on a semi-trailer pulled by an M983A4 8×8 truck, part of the Oshkosh HEMTT family, a heavy-duty vehicle capable of towing the launcher and its components with extensive off-road mobility.
The battery is usually composed of a Battery Operations Center (BOC) always located on a semi-trailer, a Typhon launcher, a vehicle for missile resupply, and a workshop vehicle for technical support.
Photo credit @U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC)
