AS China’s military activities escalate within the patches of territories in the South China Sea (SCS) that Beijing claims to be its own, the United States has shipped to Palawan multiple rocket launchers to boost the Philippines-US defensive posture.
Fresh from a firing exercise at the Crow Valley target range in the northern Luzon province of Tarlac during the Balikatan 2016 military exercises, the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars) was transported to the province nearest to the Chinese bases sitting atop the reclaimed reefs in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The reported mounting of the defensive weapon in Palawan, which both Filipino and American military officials refuse to confirm, would support the ongoing joint air and maritime operations or patrols that are being conducted by the Philippines and US soldiers in the contested territories since last month.
The deployment of the Himars that could also be fired from a warship was confirmed by the open-ended statements of Balikatan officials, who, after test firing it on two occasions during the past two weeks, said the rockets would be brought to Palawan.
The rockets would support the contingent of US aircraft, including five A-10 Thunderbolt, three H60G Pave Hawk helicopters, a MC-130H Combat Talon aircraft and 200 airmen, who stayed behind after the bilateral war games, to initialize US pivot in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
US Lt. Gen. John Toolan, commander of the Marine Forces in the Pacific, said the Himars, which could also be mounted and fired on an Army tactical vehicle, has the capability to hit a target at a distance of 300 kilometers. Thus, with its range, it can easily strike Chinese patrols, and even China’s newly built military bases nearby.
The US light multiple rocket launcher, with a price tag of $5 million per platform, can fire six rockets or one MGM-140 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) on the US Army’s new family of medium tactical vehicles 5-ton truck, and can launch the entire multiple-launch rocket system family of munitions.
The armed forces has no missile capability yet, and while there had been efforts to acquire such weapon under the present administration, the missile-launcher procurement plan was shot down last year by Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri, consequently drawing sharp criticisms from the public and even active and retired military officials.
Retired Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban fought for the missile system for the Marines when he was the commander of the Western Command, but when Gen. Emmanuel Bautista became the chief of staff, he assigned the acquisition project to the Army.
When Iriberri became the top military chief, he however turned down the project and reprogrammed it for the personal equipment of soldiers.
The Himars weapons system is interchangeable with the MLRS M270A1, carrying half the rocket load and can be transported on board a C-130 plane.
Six Himars practice rockets were fired during the penultimate day of the Balikatan, drawing the admiration of a roster of officials, including Armed Forces Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alexander “Chinaman” Lopez.
Lopez’s monicker was coined by a group of “patriotic” students in December last year after the military officials tried to stop the group’s “freedom voyage” in the WPS , while doing nothing against Chinese activities in his area of operations, according to the same group.
The firing of the Himars was the second after American Marines hit their targets during its first firing, also at Crow Valley, on April 4.
Lopez said the multiple rocket launcher should beef up the capability of the armed forces for territorial defense, and it can be deployed in the WPS.
“Basically, that’s the main purpose of that. We can deploy the Himars in any part of the Philippines, any part, that’s highly mobile,” he said. “Any threat, we can use that capability should we have one.”
“Now, because we have seen it, I know the military would like to have a good look at it and maybe a better consideration coming up with one. We have seen the capability, highly mobile, lethal, so I think that’s one of the capability that we want to have,” Lopez said.
After the firing at Crow Valley, Toolan said they would also test fire the Himars from a ship, hinting it would be deployed aboard military vessels engaged in patrols in the WPS.
“The Himars also has the capability [to be test fired from]…the deck of a ship [since we]…really need to [be on] solid ground to be able to fire from a ship. We’re gonna test it off the deck of the ship,” the US Marine general said during the Balikatan.
Toolan added that the US is willing to share the Himars along with other sophisticated US weapons with the Philippines.
“You know, the truth to the matter is that we are allies and so you know, as allies, we need to work together and I think that we’ll be more than happy to share,” he said.