The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday defended the use of the United States’ Typhon mid-range missile system during joint military exercises, insisting the activity was meant to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities and not provoke any nation.

Exercise Balikatan 2026 spokesperson Col. Dennis Hernandez confirmed that Filipino and American forces conducted the first-ever live-fire exercise involving the US-made Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system, also known as Typhon, at an airport in Tacloban City, Leyte early Tuesday morning as part of the ongoing Balikatan war drill.

The missile launched from Tacloban reportedly struck a target in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, showcasing what military officials described as long-range precision strike capability.

“This activity is not directed to any country. Pinapalakas lang natin ang ating kakayahan, ang ating kaalaman pagdating sa advanced technology, gaya nitong MRC,” Hernandez said in a phone interview with defense reporters.

“And we do not direct any countries; wala kaming pinapatutunguhang bansa na gawin 'to, at karapatan namin ng Armed Forces ninyo na gawin ito para sa ating depensa, sa ating soberanya at ating teritoryo,” he added.

The deployment of the Typhon system in the Philippines has repeatedly drawn sharp criticism from Beijing, which earlier warned that the presence of the missile platform “brought huge risks of war into the region.”

But Hernandez pushed back against accusations that the Philippines was allowing itself to become a “playground” for US military activities, saying the exercises are part of the AFP’s modernization and knowledge-sharing efforts with allied nations.

“It is also the inherent right of the Armed Forces of the Philippines na palakasin ang ating kakayahan,” he said.

“This is the appropriate time for us to get the technology and technical know-how, lalo na sa advanced capabilities such as missile systems.”

No explosive payload

According to Hernandez, the Typhon launcher fired a Tomahawk missile configured with an inert round, meaning it carried no explosive payload and was intended purely to test targeting accuracy and operational procedures.

“We are just measuring the impact,” Hernandez explained, noting that the Tomahawk missile’s guidance system allows it to precisely hit designated targets even over long distances.

The target was located in Laur, Nueva Ecija inside Fort Magsaysay.

Hernandez said the activity  was a crossover operation between the Salaknib and Balikatan exercises, involving the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division, the Multi-Domain Task Force, and Philippine Army units.

The Philippine Army personnel participated directly in the operation, including inside the launcher platform and command-and-control centers, to gain technical knowledge in missile operations, target acquisition, tracking, and engagement procedures.

“These are personnel that in the future are gonna have a missile system,” Hernandez said, referring to Army units expected to operate similar capabilities under the AFP modernization program.

The AFP official also confirmed that the launcher used was the same Typhon system deployed to the Philippines in April 2024, although Tuesday’s exercise marked the first time it had been fired in the country.

Meanwhile, the Koalisyong Makabayan criticized the exercise, saying it exposed the country to geopolitical tensions and risked civilian safety.

In a statement, the group said the missile launch from Tacloban Airport and strike in Laur, Nueva Ecija showed how “the entire Philippines becomes a playground for imperialist interests while the safety of Filipinos is compromised,” adding that such weapons have been used in conflicts abroad.

The AFP maintained that such live fire exercise was not directed at any country and was solely intended to enhance the Philippines’ and its allies’ defense capability, interoperability, and readiness.