The U.S. Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system, known as Typhon, was successfully test-fired for the first time in the Western Pacific during a joint live-fire exercise with Australian forces, the U.S. army announced Tuesday.
The launch occurred on July 16 at the Bradshaw Field Training Area in northern Australia as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
According to Lt. Gen. JB Vowell, Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), the Typhon successfully sank a cargo ship, outfitted with an active emitter to simulate a hostile maritime radar signature, using a Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) at a distance of 166 kilometers.
The strike was reportedly carried out by the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), with support from the U.S. Marines and the Australian Army’s 5th/7th Battalion.
While this was the first live test of the MRC system in the region, it had previously been deployed during a joint exercise with the Philippines last year. The MRC is a critical asset for the U.S. Army, capable of launching both the SM-6 and the Tomahawk missile.
“The deployment of the MRC and successful execution of an SM-6 live-fire against a maritime target is another significant step forward in our ability to deploy, integrate, and command and control advanced land-based maritime strike capabilities,” said U.S. Army Col. Wade Germann, commander of the 3rd MDTF in a press release.
“Having the U.S. deploy such a capable system to Australia and operate it in a remote location is a strong indicator that, in a real-world scenario, we can plan and operate together,” said Lt. Col. James Floyd, commanding officer of the Australian Defence Force’s 16 Regiment, which played a supporting air defense role during the Typhon missile test.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, which runs through July 27, includes 35,000 troops from 19 nations.
As part of this year’s drills, Australia also fired a HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rocket on its own soil for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the country’s expanding long-range strike capability.
Lift off.
Australia has fired our first Himars rocket on home turf as part of the largest Australia-US military training exercise ever. More to come. pic.twitter.com/vG7ejKx1ai
— Kevin Rudd AC (@AmboRudd) July 14, 2025
