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from https://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-fired-new-missile-system-western-pacific-first-time-2025-7

The US Army fired its new missile system that rattles China in a Western Pacific first. It found its target and sank it.
By Chris Panella

A missile is shot vertically from a launcher. The ground is grassy
terrain with some trees. In the background is a line of mountainous
formations and a hazy blue sky.
The live-fire test, conducted during Talisman Sabre 2025, successfully
sank a maritime target. US Army photo by Sgt. Perla Alfaro
Jul 23, 2025, 10:15 AM PT

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The US Army fired a Standard Missile-6 from its Mid-Range Capability, or Typhon, system in Australia.
The successful live-fire test sank a maritime target.
The MRC's deployment in the region has previously and repeatedly
irritated China.

The US Army fired its new MRC missile system in the Western Pacific for
the first time, striking and sinking a maritime target.

The Mid-Range Capability, or Typhon, missile system drew China's ire
during a previous deployment, with Beijing repeatedly warning that its
presence risks escalating tensions. The Army sees the weapon as an
essential strike asset that closes a critical capability gap in the region.

The Army said on Tuesday that the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force
successfully fired a Standard Missile-6 using the versatile MRC launcher
and sank an unspecified sea target. The test occurred earlier this month
during the joint Talisman Sabre exercise in northern Australia.

The service said it was the first time the land-based MRC had been fired
west of the international date line, which splits the Pacific Ocean.

"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 Col. Wade Germann,
commander of the 3rd MDTF.

While this was the first live test of the MRC in the region, it has been deployed there before, notably during a joint exercise with the
Philippines last year. The MRC is a high-value system for the Army,
filling both a capability and range gap by providing a flexible way to
fire both the SM-6s and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile.

The MRC's development followed the 2019 US withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over concerns about Russian violations. The treaty banned nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,000 kilometers.

A missile being fired from a launcher in a desert landscape with gray
clouds across a blue sky in the background.
American and Japanese officials have also discussed deploying an MRC to
Japan. Courtesy photo of the Mid-Range Capability Project Office
The withdrawal, overseen by the first Trump administration and driven by Moscow's SSC-8/9M729 missile, opened the door to the development of
previously banned weapons.

When the MRC was first deployed to the Philippines, China was quick to
express its frustration. In September of last year, Lin Jian, a
spokesperson for China's foreign military, called the deployment "a move
to turn back the wheel of history," adding that "it gravely threatens
regional countries' security, incites geopolitical confrontation, and
has aroused high vigilance and concerns of countries in the region."

Earlier last year, he said that Beijing "strongly opposes the US
strengthening forward deployment at China's doorstep."

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deployment that deeply frustrated China

One launcher, many allied munitions — this is what a top general says
the US Army wants for future war

China notably maintains a large arsenal of ballistic missiles, including
many intermediate-range systems able to threaten US and allied forces in
the region.

China also expressed its irritation with the MRC to the Philippines last
year. In August 2024, Filipino Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said
that his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, had expressed concerns that the
weapon could destabilize the security and relations of the region and
that when they discussed it, China "made it very dramatic." China has
warned Manila against igniting an arms race.

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