US Army Typhon missile exercises validating smaller form factor

The 3rd MDTF conducts the first Mid-Range Capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, successfully sinking a maritime target with a Standard Missile-6 force. (US Army Pacific )

The US Army is developing a smaller form factor of its Typhon missile, also known as Mid-Range Capability (MRC), Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, deputy commanding general of US Army Pacific, announced on 22 July.

The need for a smaller form factor was feedback from US Army Pacific's first live fire of MRC in the Indo-Pacific at Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre 25' earlier this month, Lt Gen Vowell said at a Defense Writers Group event on 22 July. Made up of a Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) that can fire Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) or a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), Typhon represents a significant ship-killing capability for the army, he said.

On 15 July, soldiers from the 3rd Multi Domain Task Force (MDTF) fired a SM-6 from Australia, which “successfully” sank a maritime target that was almost 170 km away, according to a 16 July press release. MRC's maximum range is supposed to be longer than that of Precision Strike Missile (PrsM).

“I think we are still working on the form factor,” said Lt Gen Vowell. “This is the initial prototype form factor that we have. It's rather large [and] long because it has to go to a vertical setup to fire the missile system.”

From firing in the field, soldiers observed challenges with loading and transporting the munitions in addition to stabilising the weapon, he said. A semi-autonomous, smaller launcher could mitigate some of these issues.