US missile system spotted in Ilocos Norte 

The armies of the US and the Philippines conduct subject matter expert exchange about Typhon midrange capability missile last June 27 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. PHOTO FROM THE US ARMY PACIFIC

MANILA, Philippines — The missile system of the United States, which caught Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attention, was spotted in Ilocos Norte.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the US Army Pacific Command showed that the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system was used during the bilateral army drills called Salaknib (shield in Ilocano) last June 27 in a military base in Laoag City.

As of Thursday, Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala could only confirm to INQUIRER.net that the missile system is “somewhere in northern Luzon.”

The ground-based missile system, capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles, arrived in the country on April 11. It was used during the Balikatan exercises.

READ: Army spox: US missile system to be removed from PH by Sept

Demi-ala noted that June 27 was the last day of the first phase of Salaknib drills, while the second phase of Salaknib drills will culminate in September.

However, Dema-ala clarified that the redeployment of the missile is still not final.

It was previously reported that the MRC will be pulled out from the country in September.

“The employment and redeployment of the MRC will still depend on the result of the training evaluation that will be conducted to ensure that the training objectives of Salaknib had been met,” Dema-ala told INQUIRER.net in a message on Friday.

“As long as we have not met these objectives, we will still need the MRC here in the country,” he said.

Dema-ala also said that the Army wants to “maximize” the training potential of the MRC.

“We plan to maximize our personnel training takeaways with this MRC capability for us to be a responsive Army and be able to provide our troops with added knowledge and skills on the weapon’s technology to improve the interoperability on the joint and combined operations with the U.S. forces,” he said.

Last week, Putin said Russia would resume the production of intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, citing the US deployment of midrange missile systems in the Philippines.

Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, did not comment on the issue when asked by reporters on Tuesday.

This story was updated on July 5, 2024 (Friday) at 11:30 p.m.