The US military conducted the first training launches of the „Tomahawk“ cruise missile from a mobile land-based "Typhon" launcher in East Asia during military exercises in the Philippines.
The launch was carried out from Leyte Island, according to the Kyodo news agency.
According to the agency, the missile carried a mock warhead and hit a target in the sea 600 kilometers from the launch site.
These launches were part of the multilateral „Balikatan“ military exercises in the Philippines, which took place from April 20 until May 8. More than 17,000 soldiers from the Philippines, USA, Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand participated in the exercises.
The “Typhon“ launchers can launch SM-6 multi-purpose missiles and “Tomahawk“ cruise missiles with a range of 1,600 kilometers.
China and Russia have repeatedly warned about the dangers of deploying such medium-range weapons in the region. In September 2025, an official from the Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded that Washington and Tokyo immediately withdraw the “Typhon“ systems from East Asia.