Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system

The Philippines said on Monday (Dec 23) it planned to acquire the United States Typhon missile system as part of a push to secure its maritime interests, sparking warnings from China of a regional "arms race".


The US Army deployed the mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines earlier this year for annual joint military exercises with its longtime ally and decided to leave it there despite criticism by Beijing that it was destabilising to Asia.

Philippine Army chief Lieutenant-General Roy Galido told a news conference on Monday that the missile system would be "acquired because we see its feasibility and its functionality in our concept of archipelagic defence implementation".


"I'm happy to report to our fellow countrymen that your army is developing this capability for the interest of protecting our sovereignty," he said, adding the total cost of the acquisition would depend on "economics".


The presence of the US missile launcher had angered Beijing, whose navy and coast guard forces have engaged in escalating confrontations in recent months with the Philippines over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea.


Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Manila and Washington, longstanding treaty allies, have deepened their defence cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing's claims to the South China Sea.


On Monday, China swiftly condemned the decision to acquire the system as a "provocative and dangerous move" and warned it risked triggering an "arms race".


"It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history of its own people and the people of Southeast Asia, as well as for regional security," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Monday.


"The region needs peace and prosperity, not missiles and confrontation," she added, urging Manila to "correct its wrong practices as soon as possible".


As a rule, it takes at least two or more years for the Philippine military to acquire a new weapons system from the planning stage, Galido said on Monday, adding it was not yet budgeted for 2025.

It took five years for Manila to take delivery of the BrahMos cruise missile last year, he added.

"PROJECT FORCE"


The land-based "mid-range capability" Typhon missile launcher, developed by US firm Lockheed Martin for the US Army, has a range of 480km, though a longer-range version is in development.


Galido said the Typhon system would enable the army to "project force" outwards up to 370km, which is the limit of the archipelago nation's maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"You have to take note of the fact that at 200 nautical miles there is no land there and the army cannot go there," he said.


The Typhon platform "will protect our floating assets", he said, a reference to ships of the Philippine navy, coast guard and other vessels.


Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun warned in June that the Typhon deployment was "severely damaging regional security and stability".


But Galido dismissed the criticism of the Typhon system in the Philippines.


"We should not be bothered by others' seeming insecurities because we don't have any plans to go outside of our country's interests," he said.

Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system - CNA

Good one Filipinos
Take no shit from the chinky barstards

US missile deployment in the Philippines is legitimate: Manila

The deployment of a U.S. mid-range missile system in the Philippines and plans by Manila to acquire it are “completely legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach,” its defense chief said.


China protested against the plan by the Philippines to acquire a Typhon mid-range missile system from the United States to boost its maritime capabilities amid rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea.


Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the plan “provocative and dangerous,” and said on Monday it was an “extremely irresponsible choice” not only for the Philippine people and people of all Southeast Asian countries, but also “to history and to regional security.”


Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said any deployment for the security of the Philippines was its affair.


“The Philippines is a sovereign state, not any country’s ‘doorstep’,” Teodoro said in a statement on Tuesday.


He did not refer to the Chinese comment on the missile system but reiterated that the enhancement of Philippine defense capabilities was intended to serve its national interest and “not targeted against specific countries.”


“Any deployment and procurement of assets related to the Philippines’ security and defense fall within its own sovereign prerogative and are not subject to any foreign veto,” Teodoro said.

China and the Philippines have been trading accusations of provocation and intimidation over escalating tensions in parts of the South China Sea that they both claim, especially near reefs that lie within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but are also claimed by Beijing.


“If the Chinese Communist Party is truly intent on reducing tensions and instability in the region, they should … stop their provocative actions … withdraw their illegal presence from the Philippines’ EEZ, and adhere to International Law,” said Teodoro, who also accused Beijing of building up a nuclear arsenal and ballistic missile capability.


Typhon system


On Monday, Philippine army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido – while delivering his year-end report to an audience of domestic and foreign journalists in Manila – confirmed that the army has endorsed a plan to acquire a mid-range missile system “to boost the country’s capability in protecting its territory.”


The mobile system, called Typhon, was deployed to the Philippines early this year as part of a joint military exercise with the U.S. military.


Chinese defense minister Dong Jun said in June the deployment was “severely damaging regional security and stability.”


The missile system, developed by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, has a range of 480 kilometers (300 miles), and is capable of reaching the disputed Scarborough Shoal as well as targets around Taiwan.

Galido said that the Typhon would “protect our floating assets,” referring to Philippine navy and coastguard vessels.


The acquisition is taking place as the army is “tasked to come up with plans to contribute to the comprehensive archipelagic defense,” according to Galido, who added that “one of our inputs is to be able to defend this land through this type of platform.”


Chinese spokeswoman Mao Ning criticized the plan, saying that the Philippines, “by bringing in this strategic offensive weapon, is enabling a country outside the region to fuel tensions and antagonism in this region, and incite geopolitical confrontation and arms race.”

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