On July 4th, a spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that the U.S. Army will withdraw its new MRC Missile Launch System from the country after completing a deployment of nearly three months in the region. The system had been deployed on the island of Luzon, part of the Philippines archipelago, in April as part of its participation in Exercise Combined Salaknib 24.
Known as Typhoon, the MRC missile launch system can utilize the SM-6 anti-aircraft missile (originally used by the U.S Navy) and the Tomahawk cruise missile. However, according to Colonel Louie Dema-ala of the Philippine Army, no launches of these missiles were recorded during Exercise Salaknib 24. The spokesperson indicated that the system is scheduled to be withdrawn from the country by September.
The decision to withdraw the system was largely influenced by China’s attention and dissatisfaction with its deployment, prompting discussions between both parties in recent days to reach an agreement on its removal from the region.
It’s noteworthy that the development and deployment of this system in the Indo-Pacific region marked a significant military maneuver by the United States, breaking a hiatus of nearly four decades since the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) between the U.S and the Soviet Union in 1987. This treaty had previously prohibited the development and possession of ground-launched missile systems with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. However, in 2019, Washington withdrew from the treaty, citing alleged violations by Moscow and in response to China’s increasing military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in hypersonic missile technology.
Developed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the firsts SMRF, previously known as Medium Range Capability System, were delivered to the U.S Army in December 2022. It is a surface-to-surface attack system that provides a multi-domain advantage against the enemy with its four launchers capable of firing SM-6 surface-to-air and Tomahawk surface-to-surface missiles, capable of performing missions for both ground attack and air defense purposes.
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