Since April last year, after the United States deployed the THAAD missile system in the Philippines for the first time, THAAD has stayed in the Philippines and not left. Let’s see how the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded.
The longer THAAD stays in the Philippines, the more anxious the Chinese Foreign Ministry becomes. Over the past few months, both the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense have repeatedly emphasized the threat of THAAD to the local situation. This only shows one thing – whatever China opposes, it means you are on the right track.
So, why is China reacting so strongly to the THAAD missile system? We know that the United States has established nine military bases in the Philippines. China just symbolically protested, and the U.S. also deployed the HIMARS system in the Philippines without much protest from China. But THAAD is different.
Let’s take a look at its simple composition. At first glance, THAAD looks very simple. Its main body is an M991 transporter, which drags behind it a set of MK70 missile launch system. Essentially, it consists of four MK41 vertical missile launch systems loaded into a container.
The main advantage of this modular design is its versatility. Today, it can be attached to a truck, and tomorrow it could be mounted on a warship. In 2024, the U.S. tested the MK70 system on the USS Savannah coastal combat ship.
THAAD system primarily launches two types of missiles: the well-known Tomahawk cruise missile and the Standard-6 air defense missile. Both of these missiles were previously used by the U.S. Navy, but the THAAD system is designed for the Army, essentially repurposing naval weaponry for land-based use.
The Tomahawk cruise missile has a range of nearly 2,000 kilometers and has been utilized in the Gulf War and the Iraq War, with extensive combat experience. The latest version has an MST variant capable of targeting moving sea targets. If deployed in the Philippines, from the South China Sea to the East China Sea, naval fleets will become targets for THAAD.
Looking at a map, if THAAD is deployed in the Okinawa region, it can reach Beijing; if in the Philippines, it can target Shanghai to the north, reaching Guangxi and Yunnan to the west. This means that fleets in the East China Sea and South China Sea could become targets for THAAD.
The second weapon carried by the THAAD system is the Standard-6. Standard-6 is a new American air defense missile developed based on the Standard-2. Recently, the U.S. used Standard missiles multiple times to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles launched by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Apart from air defense, it can target both land and sea objectives. With the ability to be used by the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army, it’s a versatile missile.
Aside from the U.S. Army’s THAAD and Navy’s Aegis ships, the U.S. Air Force has recently deployed the Standard-6 missile on fighter jets, making it an air-to-air missile with a range of up to 800 kilometers. We’ll dive deeper into this missile in the future.
With THAAD in their arsenal, the U.S. Army has a striking range of about 2,000 kilometers, able to target both land and sea objectives.
Some may question what makes THAAD and the Tomahawk missile so special when China has Dongfeng-21, Dongfeng-26, and others. The significant change with THAAD is its mobility and flexibility. The entire THAAD system can be transported by U.S. C-130s, deploying to any part of the world within days. Can Dongfeng-21 or 26 do that?
At the slightest movement in the Western Pacific, the U.S. can swiftly transport THAAD missiles to the Philippines and Japan, changing positions quickly to keep opponents on edge.
Beyond the threat posed by the weaponry itself, THAAD has two more reasons that worry China.
Firstly, deploying THAAD in the Philippines means not just THAAD alone but the involvement of the entire U.S. Multi-Domain Task Force. This task force, originating from artillery regiments to counter Chinese threats, is supported by the U.S. Multi-Domain Task Force, providing real-time intelligence and electronic warfare support.
In addition to THAAD, the Multi-Domain Task Force includes HIMARS and the hypersonic missile ARRW. While THAAD may have a subsonic speed and 2,000 km range, ARRW is different, being a hypersonic gliding missile developed by the U.S. Army with a 2,700 km range, five times the speed of sound, making it harder to intercept.
If THAAD is deployed in the Philippines, it signifies the full deployment of the Multi-Domain Task Force, including HIMARS and ARRW. The task force’s air defense battalion boasts an effective range of 500 kilometers. Positioned in the northern part of Luzon in the Philippines, its air defense capabilities could cover the southwest Taiwan sea area. Equipped with PRSM precision strike missiles, HIMARS can launch with a range of 500 km; THAAD can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 km, and ARRW has a range of 2,700 km. From Shanghai to Zhoushan, Fujian to Guangdong, Zhanjiang to Hainan’s Sanya, all could be within range of the U.S. MDTF’s striking capabilities.
Another reason that terrifies China is the upgraded strategic cooperation between the Philippines and the U.S. Two key countries in Taiwan’s vicinity, Japan and the Philippines play crucial roles. Japan is a traditional U.S. ally with U.S. military bases in Okinawa housing F-15, F-16, F-22, F-35 jets. In contrast, the U.S. military presence in the Philippines has been absent since it withdrew from Subic Bay at the end of the 1980s. The geopolitical importance of the Philippines in the entire Taiwan Strait region, with islands to the north closer to Taiwan’s Orchid Island than 100 kilometers.
Recently, Reuters reported that the U.S. military had transferred the THAAD missile launch system from the Lavaga Airport in the Philippines to another location on Luzon Island. Over the past year, the U.S. not only did not withdraw THAAD from the Philippines but also conducted exercises and sought suitable deployment locations there. Simply put, this is preparation for future warfare.
China is particularly concerned about this kind of strategic cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines. If conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait area, U.S. troops can quickly enter the Philippines, controlling the southern Bushe Strait of Taiwan. With a Tomahawk missile range of 2,000 km, the entire Chinese South Sea Fleet from Zhanjiang Naval Port in Guangdong to Guangzhou Bay to Sanya Bay in Hainan all are within range of THAAD. How could China not be worried?
To be frank, China’s Foreign Ministry’s concern over the U.S. THAAD system is the most significant seen since the THAAD deployment in South Korea in 2007. This shows how wary China is of the THAAD system.
Firstly, with THAAD’s tactical versatility, launching 2,000 km Tomahawk and Standard-6 missiles while being extremely flexible in deployment, transport planes can carry them to any part of the world. Secondly, THAAD’s arrival means the full arrival of the U.S. Multi-Domain Task Force with HIMARS and ARRW. This signifies a grave threat to the Chinese South Sea Fleet. Thirdly, from a geopolitical perspective, the strategic cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines is a major concern for China. Today it’s THAAD, tomorrow it could be the Marine Corps, and the day after could see F-35s deployed to the Philippines.
Although THAAD is small, it is like a thorn in China’s side, and it is something that they cannot overlook. In the foreseeable future, the Chinese Foreign Ministry will likely continue to voice its protests against THAAD.
[Subscription links have been omitted as requested].