Despite the fact that the American missile system Typhon (also known as Mid-Range Capability), capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 interceptors, is only being deployed in the U.S. armed forces, potential buyers are already lining up behind it, including Ukraine. Another potential candidate is the Philippines, which objectively has a strong chance of becoming an operator as it needs the system for defense against China.
The direct interest of the country in Typhon was announced by the commander of the Philippine Army, Roy Ralido, as reported by The Straits Times. The number of systems planned for purchase has not been disclosed, but it was mentioned that everything will depend on the funding allocated by the government. When asked about the timeline, he responded that it could take two years to finalize the agreement, and noted that such a purchase is not planned for 2025.
This decision was evidently made after the U.S. deployed the Typhon system on Luzon Island, located in the northern part of the Philippines, during drills in April of this year. The distance to the Chinese coast is only 650 km. The placement of this long-range missile system, with Tomahawk capable of reaching 1600 km, prompted a rather negative reaction from China.
Of course, at this point, this is merely the desire of the higher military command of the Philippines to acquire Typhon. However, considering Trump's rhetoric and the overall strategy to expand capabilities for countering China, Washington may very well be interested in such a sale.
Moreover, the primary focus will be on the contract for the Typhon system itself, rather than the missiles. Without Tomahawk, its actual combat capabilities would diminish significantly, as the SM-6 can engage ground or maritime targets at a range of 460 km, even though it is primarily an interceptor missile.
At the same time, Tomahawk would enable the Philippines to keep a significant area of southern China under surveillance, including major ports and economic centers such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Hangzhou. In light of the U.S. plans to deploy its own Typhon in Japan, this opens up rather interesting fire control opportunities.