In a historic first, the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force successfully deployed the Mid-Range Capability, or MRC, missile system to Northern Luzon, Philippines, on April 11, 2024, as part of Exercise Salaknib 24. This landmark deployment marks a significant milestone for the new capability while enhancing interoperability, readiness, and defense capabilities in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Covering a journey of more than 8,000 miles in over 15 hours, the MRC reached the Philippines aboard a C-17 Globemaster III airframe. The deployment, undertaken in part with the pilots and flight crew of the U.S. Air Force’s 62nd Airlift Wing from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, marking the first time the service has flown the exquisite capability.
“This is a significant step in our partnership with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in the region. We’re grateful to our partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and we’re excited to expand our security cooperation as we bring this new capability to Luzon. This creates several new collaboration opportunities for our bilateral training and readiness, we look forward to growing together,” said Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington, commanding general of the 1st MDTF.
The 1st MDTF’s MRC is a land-based, ground-launched system that enhances multi-domain fires. A versatile capability, the MRC Launcher can fire the Standard Missile 6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. The full configuration of MRC comprises a battery operations center, four launchers, prime movers and modified trailers. Salaknib 24 directly supports the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Army Pacific efforts in enhancing bilateral U.S. land power capacity and capabilities for joint operations. By bolstering our collective readiness with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Salaknib improves our operational capabilities and strengthens the longstanding and strong U.S.-Philippine Alliance, displaying our dedication to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Mid-Range Capability (MRC) battery, also known as the Typhon Weapon System is the latest mission capability Lockheed Martin developed for RCCTO to help the Army transform into a more agile, multi-domain force. It provides a combined operational capability to address specific threats to penetrate, dis-integrate, and exploit targets critical to the joint fight. The idea was to create a capability to strike targets somewhere between the 500 and 1,800 km range, or greater than the future Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) but shorter than a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system. To do this, US Army programme officials joined forces with the navy to leverage existing capabilities such as the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (Mk 41 VLS), and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) and the RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM), or Standard Missile 6 (SM-6).
