According to Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, Philippine International Security Advisor Eduardo Ano stated that The Philippines currently has no plans to withdraw the Typhon medium-range missile system deployed by the United States in the northern Philippines. He said the Philippine authorities plan to purchase medium-range missiles in the future and currently use the Typhon system for military training. Reuters also reported earlier that, although China clearly opposes the deployment of intermediate-range missile systems by the United States in the Philippines, the U.S. currently has no plans to immediately remove the Typhon system. Ano said there is no specific timetable, and the decision will be made by a panel of officials from the Philippines and the United States.
Satellite images show the Typhon system stays at Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Province, northern Philippines, close to the Taiwan Strait and facing the South China Sea. Ano said “we need to understand how to operate the system because we intend to purchase this type of equipment in the future.” China’s Foreign Ministry expressed serious concern earlier over the Philippines’ plan to maintain the Typhon system. Ano responded that: “we know what is in the best interests of the country and therefore no one has the right to dictate to us, especially when it comes to the deployment of missile launchers.”
In April, the US military deployed the latest land-based Typhon Weapons System the Philippines for military exercises with the Philippines. The system can be equipped with the Standard 6 Supersonic Missile with a range of 450 kilometers as well as the Tomahawk cruise missile with a maximum range of over 1,600 kilometers, which is enough to hit targets in China.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao, September 20, 2024
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/world/story20240920-4796861