Joint Military Exercise Will See US Typhon Missile System to Deployed to Japan

August 28, 2025

VX-30 engineer Sam Newcomer explains the Satellite Communications Range Extension Aircraft Modification (SCREAM) system inside a KC-130T Hercules at Naval Base Ventura County. The system enabled beyond-line-of-sight communications during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, supporting the U.S. Army’s first Typhon missile launch outside the continental United States. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael L. Smith)

A joint U.S. and Japanese military exercise will see the temporary deployment of the "Typhon" intermediate-range missile in Japan, Japanese and U.S. officials said on Thursday, a move likely to anger China.

The Typhon system is part of a drive by Washington to amass a variety of anti-ship weapons in Asia. The weapon drew sharp criticism from China when first deployed in the Philippines in 2024, also during a training exercise.

A spokesperson for Japan's Ground Self Defense Force said the Typhon would be deployed to the U.S. Marine Air Station Iwakuni as a part of the Resolute Dragon exercise.

It was unclear if the missile system would be fired as part of the exercise, but the spokesperson said the aim was to enhance deterrence, response capacity and integrated operations.

The Resolute Dragon exercise runs from September 11 to September 25.

The Tomahawk cruise missiles in the launchers can hit targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines, while the SM-6 missiles it also carries can strike air or sea targets more than 200 km (165 miles) away.

(Reuters)