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Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
Back in November last year, the US military was in the process of deploying new medium-range missile systems to the increasingly contested Asia-Pacific region. At the time, General Charles A. Flynn, a four-star commanding officer of the US Army Pacific (USARPAC), stated that the deployment was officially slated for 2024 and that their purpose was to “deter China from invading Taiwan”. More importantly, Flynn revealed that the US Army would deploy a missile launcher that will be able to fire the land-based version of the medium-range “Tomahawk” missile. Still, he refused to disclose where exactly the systems would be deployed, leaving many analysts to speculate about the possible location. There was even speculation that such missiles would be stationed directly in Taiwan. However, it seems that the United States chose not to go that far (at least not yet), although the latest deployment isn’t much better in terms of strategic impact on China’s security.
Namely, the system in question, officially named “Typhon”, has been sent to the Philippines. The US Army deployed the elements of its latest land-based medium-range missile system overseas for the first time to take part in a military exercise in the island country. Apart from the aforementioned subsonic “Tomahawk” cruise missiles, “Typhon” also carries the supersonic SM-6 multi-purpose missiles. The latter is used by the US Navy as part of its shipborne “Aegis”, a combined SAM (surface-to-air missile) and ABM (anti-ballistic missile) system that can also be used in a secondary anti-ship role. Precisely the SM-6 gives it such a capability, meaning that it can hit both airborne and surface targets. Because of such multirole capabilities, “Typhon” can use the missile for land attack missions. Various American military sources suggest that such systems will be “permanently based in China’s backyard”, a clear indicator that the US plans to escalate its aggression.
On April 15, US Army Pacific (USARPAC) announced the arrival of one battery (or at least a part of it) to the Philippines where it participated in the Salaknib 24 military exercise. This specific “Typhon” system was sent on April 7 and it belongs to Battery C, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, which is part of the Long Range Fires Battalion assigned to the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. Footage shows a single trailer-based containerized launcher towed by a HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck) being loaded on a USAF C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft from the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and then being unloaded in the Philippines. A “Typhon” battery consists of up to four launchers, a mobile command post and other auxiliary vehicles and equipment. The system also uses the Mk 70 Mod 1 launchers derived from the highly controversial Mk 41 VLS.
Namely, the Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) was one of the reasons why the INF Treaty fell apart, which recently led Russia to respond to the US escalation by testing its own previously banned intermediate-range missile. The Mk 41 can fire a plethora of weapons, be it for SAM, ABM or any other system. It’s also part of the “Aegis” air and missile defenses, including its land-based “Aegis Ashore” variant. It can be argued that its most disturbing feature is that it can also fire purely offensive missiles such as the infamous “Tomahawk”. The problem is that there’s no viable way to know what sort of missile is in the VLS and the US has repeatedly refused to allow on-site inspections of its alleged “missile shield” in Eastern Europe. This effectively forced Russia to create countermeasures, particularly in the form of its unrivaled hypersonic missiles. China has a similar problem with such VLS, particularly now that the missiles have been deployed on land.
The US military openly describes the “Typhon” as a “strategic weapon system that would be used against higher-value targets like air defense assets and command and control nodes”. If based on Luzon, the largest and most important island in the Philippines, the system would have more than enough range to reach southern and southeastern China, including the island of Hainan which is crucial for extending control over the strategically important South China Sea. However, American military sources are complaining that too many countries have outright refused to allow the deployment of the “Typhon” on their territory. Still, this doesn’t seem to serve as a clear deterrent to the aggressive Pentagon planners, as they’re also deploying similar weapons with other service branches, including the US Marine Corps (USMC), which also has land-based “Tomahawk” launchers, albeit on a completely different platform, the 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
Worse yet, back in 2021, meaning before the SMO (special military operation), the US Army reactivated its 56th Artillery Command in Germany to oversee forward-deployed units equipped with “Typhon” and similar strike platforms such as the “Dark Eagle” hypersonic missile, which is yet to be delivered, as it’s still going through a rather rocky development. Interestingly, the 56th Artillery Command had battalions equipped with “Pershing” and “Pershing II” nuclear-armed ballistic missiles during the (First) Cold War. In other words, the US-led political West is antagonizing both multipolar superpowers, openly taking pride in the fact that it can get into their “geopolitical backyards”. However, both Russia and China have superior missile technologies, particularly in terms of the development and deployment of hypersonic weapons. Worse yet for the Pentagon, even North Korea managed to overtake the US in this regard and continues to strengthen its forces.
“however, both russia and china have superior missile technologies,”
many more nations on the way in the next few decades. the muricans are living the “american nightmare” as we speak.
perpetual decline…
the american weapons are allways the most dangerous cause they are the only ones who wont hesitate to use them. they are without any restraint any morals and any ethic might makes right the ultimate opportunists.
both right. sub-sonic system in the hands of aggressor is way better than something few times faster.
the jewnited snakes don’t hesitate to attack only those who are weaker and can’t defend against the filth. at the slightest chance of punishment the scum of the earth puts on the hollywood fake smile and offers a “deal”. don’t stop fucking up the anglo-zionist filth at every opportunity like the countless multitudes of freedom fighters around the world have been doing, not the least in the belly of the beast , the jewnited snakes themselves.
when you hear your leaders talk about man-made climate change that is supposed to happen in less then a decade from now. don’t think about co2 think about a nuclear holocaust. the plans are there and they will make sure it happens.
co2 is not scary at all. professor of climatology zimov says that more co2 in atmosphere will make climate softer – winters and nights will be warmer, more land for agriculture, for wild animals in the regions where is eternal freeze now. more agriculture = less starved people.
globalist mafia afraid of this and spends money for anti-human experiments in attempt to lower temperature on earth. bill gates gave money to experiments of mad scientists who dispersed to atmosphere crystals of prepared salt from a ship near san-francisco. solar geoengineering experiment of the washington university. they are criminals, because such kind of experiments is prohibited.
“geoengineering test quietly launches salt crystals into atmosphere.” article from 4 april 2024
nano glass filaments coated with radio active coalfly ash ain’t no fucking salt.
co2 was 20 times higher during the time of the dinosaurs. life flourished then. dragonflies grew to 2-foot wingspans! i welcome more co2!
plus arctic desert was densely populated. 2/3 of russia is the zone of freeze (ice in soil at winter) or permanent freeze (meters of ice in soil don’t melt at summer). prof. zimov makes experiments to turn these lands into savanna with breeding of herds of wild animals which transforms landscape to fertile area. he has two places for this, 1 in magadan region in arctic zone and another one in tula region in moderate climate zone.
we should be getting paid tax benefits for driving a petrol car and burning shit wood in our yard fire pits, cause we good for the climate. hell yeah.
just like ukraine is used as us proxy to destroy russia. taiwan will be used to destroy china or at least significantly weaken them both economically and militarily. the americans have already weakened europe which is now in decline. not sure why china is waiting for some miracle when everything around them is prepared for a full-blown war on the mainland.
you only has one eye or worse.
almost the world are in decline. you forgets that.
europe and eu is not weak at all. i see now numbers and % for that. very much as you blow your horn from your behind.
🎷🎷🎷
now you will cry even more – china and russia are growing faster than imf prognosed. india is growing even faster than china. indonesia shows very good numbers too. eu – stagnation.
what do you mean not weak at all? people pay more for energy, food, basic services and housing. everything has become more expensive since the west decided to use ukraine as their proxy to contain russia and at the same time trying to instigate a wider war that will affect everyone in europe. things were already expensive when eu added former ussr countries and introduced the euro with covid lock-down and war in ukraine it became even worse.
they are not simply waiting, china is preparing. they are building many combat ships annually, their fleet is the biggest one by numbers and keep growing in both numbers and quality as well as their marines corpus. take a look at type 055 destroyer (actually cruiser) – largest destroyer at this moment, 128 universal missile launchers on board, each is able to carry one cruise missile or several smaller missiles.
what if russia was being used to destroy ukraine, and china being used to destroy taiwan and stop peeps from getting anymore chips once the globalists pull the plug on humanity globally? m m m m maybe that????
war mongering satanist pigs who rule the so called west deserve to be sent directly to hades.. and the sooner the better. god speed russia.
you mean da jews right? just say jews, bible says it all, they are of their father the devil…
what, no sprinkles? no rainbow flags? terrible!
i kosova/o serbia they fight about numberplates. thats better ???
in denmark they are included. the the whole point. people often make flags, when are not included.
some less then 10% are born with minory dna. it was nomal in the stoneage as well. get used it.
in denmark the problems are or was made by those, which dont simple facts and not the lgbts whatever.
we have reduced unwanted children to almost as well.
agree. need to rise military budget up to 1 trillion dollars at least and install these flags everywhere! it’s more important than problem with drug addicted and homeless people on streets or horrible underground in ny. more military bases with giant lgbtabcd+-x= flags!
yo no entiendo por qué los chinos y los rusos llevan misiles de crucero e hipersonicos cerca de las fronteras de ee.uu en américa central, ya sea en cuba, nicaragua,venezuela. en todo caso estarían devolviendoles con la misma moneda la instalación de misiles y sistemas antimisiles cerca de china y rusia.
its a part of the world agreements that parts of the air and sea are open for all.
russia dont own blak sea as well. the borders are by turkey, bulgaria, roumania, moldova and parts of caucasus too and russian ships also never will pass bosporus again.
it seemes you expect usa and others are sitting not clever ducks as well. you are lied to.
those missiles are not banned at all.
its very well china and russia dont them. thats a purpose.
that’s not close to russia, because philippines are far away, near 3000 km from northern sore of closest island to vladivostok, “tomahawk” can’t fly so far away, it’s obsolete complex, just look at its chassis – half-trucks with containers and compare it with “iskander”on self-propelled off-road chassis.
the so called west is run by satanist, eugenicist, depopulation murderers. they are the ultimate criminals who have done unprecedented crimes that are incomparable in world history. send them to the creator so that they will go to hades for eternity. there they shall reap as they have sowed.
kill da jews…
çhina ( and others ) can also position their missiles in jewmerica’s back yard – nicaragua, cuba to name a few or even station missile ships off the jewmerican coast ( on rotation). with the enormously fast growing by leaps and bounds chinese navy outnumbering even the once biggest in the world jewmerican navy posting a ship or a few off the jewmerican coast on permanent basis can be accomplished if not now then in the very near future.
b10 of billions of natostan air defenses decimated in ukraine at the cost of nato nations own security. situation is dire for ukraine; as lines continue to get smashed and cauldrons building against ukronazis.