A unit assigned to the U.S. European Multidomain Command has conducted its first live-fire exercise with the Typhon mid-range capability system, launching a Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile in California. The test took place in late September at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. It was the system’s third launch on U.S. soil and brought a land-based long-range strike platform previously seen mainly in the Indo-Pacific into the European command’s training program.
European unit completes first Typhon live fire
The exercise was carried out by the 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment. The unit is part of the U.S. European Multidomain Command, serves as a long-range precision-fire formation and operates one of the Army’s four Typhon batteries. Its soldiers completed five weeks of training in system operation and maintenance before the test.
Lt. Col. Derek Bartlett, the battalion commander, said the training had given him “a lot of confidence” in the unit’s ability to deploy and operate the system forward. The U.S. European Multidomain Command said the live fire tested whether soldiers could turn the new equipment into an operational combat capability.
Typhon is a mobile ground-launched platform also known as the Army Mid-Range Capability system. It can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and Standard Missile-6, or SM-6, interceptors. The two types of ammunition give the Army different strike options, including the ability to engage targets at greater distances from land. The system is manufactured by Lockheed Martin and is intended to supplement the United States’ existing long-range strike assets.
Typhon has held a forward presence in the Indo-Pacific
The system’s first overseas deployment began in April 2024, when the U.S. deployed Typhon to the Philippines during a joint exercise with Philippine forces. U.S. Army Pacific described the deployment as a milestone.
During the July 2025 Talisman Sabre exercise, the U.S. carried out Typhon’s first launch west of the International Date Line. The system fired an SM-6 at a maritime target and successfully sank it. The California test instead used a Tomahawk land-attack missile, highlighting the platform’s ability to employ different munitions for different missions.
Maj. Gen. Bernard Harrington, who leads Pacific forces under the 7th Infantry Division’s multidomain command, said this week that Typhon had maintained a forward presence in the region for about 30 months. He said the continuing deployment supported equipment training and the exchange of operational experience, while also helping U.S. and Philippine personnel become familiar with sustainment requirements, system protection and coordination between sensors and firing units in the local environment.
European strike options and treaty history
U.S. Army leaders have said Typhon could give the European theater another long-range fires option. Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, who leads the U.S. European Multidomain Command, said the live fire demonstrated the unit’s ability to employ the new system. He added that Typhon would allow commanders to hold key targets at risk from greater distances and give joint forces more operational options.
Typhon’s development is linked to the United States’ withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Washington left the 1987 arms-control agreement in 2019, saying Russia had violated its terms. The treaty prohibited ground-launched nuclear and conventional ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,000 kilometers.
The system’s deployment in the Indo-Pacific has drawn opposition from Beijing. In 2024, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the U.S. deployment was “turning back the wheel of history,” arguing that it threatened the security of countries in the region and intensified geopolitical confrontation.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force operates a large missile inventory that includes intermediate- and intermediate-to-long-range systems capable of threatening U.S. assets and bases, as well as those of allies and partners. The latest test was conducted in the United States, while the participating soldiers came from the European command structure. The exercise shows that the unit has completed operational training and gained live-fire experience; the material does not disclose whether or when Typhon could be deployed to forward positions in Europe.