Recently, the US military revealed that the US Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 5th Battalion C Company, along with its equipped “Typhon” medium-range missile system, has arrived in the Philippines. The US military stated that the deployment of the “Typhon” medium-range missile system in the Philippines is for participation in the upcoming “Salaknib 24” joint military exercise between the US and the Philippines. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the US military’s delivery of the “Typhon” medium-range missile system to the Philippines this time is a probe, and next, the US military may permanently deploy this missile system in the Philippines. After all, under the strategic thinking of the US “return to the Asia-Pacific,” the US military is fully capable of deploying offensive weapons near China’s doorstep.
The “Typhon” medium-range missile system is characterized by its multi-role capabilities. For example, its equipped Standard-6 missile can conduct both air defense and anti-ship operations, and even has a certain capability for land attack. Additionally, the “Typhon” medium-range missile system can be loaded with LRASM long-range stealth anti-ship missiles for long-range anti-ship operations, or loaded with new Tomahawk-style cruise missiles to attack land targets over a thousand kilometers away. This medium-range missile system is a purely offensive weapon system. If the US military permanently deploys this system in the Philippines, it will directly pose three major threats to China!
Firstly, if the “Typhon” medium-range missile system is deployed in the Philippines, the range of its equipped Standard-6 missiles and LRASM long-range stealth anti-ship missiles can cover large maritime and airspace areas in the South China Sea, posing a significant threat to the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s ships and aircraft cruising in the South China Sea. Even areas such as the Nansha Islands and the Dongsha Islands will be within the range of LRASM long-range stealth anti-ship missiles! Secondly, if the US military deploys the “Typhon” medium-range missile system on Luzon Island, its equipped Standard-6 missiles and LRASM long-range stealth anti-ship missiles can block the maritime and airspace of the Bashi Channel, which is the strategic passage for the PLA to enter the Western Pacific.
Additionally, if the “Typhon” medium-range missile system deployed in the Philippines is loaded with new Tomahawk missiles, judging from the range of this missile of 1700 kilometers, it can threaten coastal areas of China such as Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan, posing a direct threat to China! Therefore, if the US military permanently deploys the “Typhon” medium-range missile system in the Philippines, it is like placing a gun at China’s doorstep!
The US military’s delivery of the “Typhon” medium-range missile system to the Philippines this time is undoubtedly a serious provocation and poses a threat to South China Sea neighboring countries, including China.
This time, the response from the Chinese military was very prompt! Just as the US military announced that the “Typhon” medium-range missile system had arrived in the Philippines, the PLA took countermeasures! Recently, Filipino journalists captured a mysterious aircraft flying over the South China Sea. According to the Filipino side, the position of this aircraft was approximately 55 kilometers from Subic City, Zambales Province, Philippines, in the airspace over the South China Sea between Huangyan Island and the Philippines. Filipino journalists stated that the mysterious aircraft was trailing a white flame and flew at an extremely fast speed over the airspace near the western coast of the Philippines. However, Filipino journalists were not sure where this aircraft came from or what model it was.
After the Filipino media released photos of this aircraft, observant netizens immediately recognized it as China’s WZ-7 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft! WZ-7 is dubbed the “Chinese version of the Global Hawk” by netizens and is the world’s second large-scale high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned strategic reconnaissance aircraft after the US military’s RQ-4 “Global Hawk” drone. WZ-7 adopts a unique “diamond-wing” configuration, with a maximum ceiling of 20,000 meters, a maximum flight speed of 750 kilometers per hour, and a maximum range of 7,000 kilometers. WZ-7 can take off from domestic airports and conduct strategic reconnaissance cruises in any airspace over the South China Sea.
WZ-7 is equipped with advanced reconnaissance systems including high-resolution synthetic aperture radar, high-definition digital cameras, and infrared thermal imaging devices. It can not only perform strategic reconnaissance missions but also provide guidance for ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, and other weapons, improving the accuracy and efficiency of missile strikes! The appearance of WZ-7 in the airspace near the western coast of the Philippines indicates that the PLA has taken effective countermeasures against the deployment of offensive weapons by the US military in the Philippines, as after reconnaissance by WZ-7 in actual combat, missile attacks may follow!
In fact, in the field of medium-range missiles, the strength of the People’s Liberation Army far exceeds that of the US military. The US military currently only has the “Typhon” medium-range missile system and the “Dark Eagle” hypersonic missile system. However, the People’s Liberation Army has a large number of advanced medium and long-range missiles including DF-16, DF-17, DF-21, DF-100, and YJ-21. If the US military’s deployment of the “Typhon” medium-range missile system in the Philippines directly threatens China, China’s advanced missiles can fly to the top of the “Typhon” medium-range missile system and destroy it within minutes!