The Army’s main long-range missile battery in Europe fires new weapon for the first time

The Army’s 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment conducted its first Tomahawk test launch from a Typhon missile system. The battalion is assigned to the Army’s 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, based in Germany. This marked the first time an Army force focused on Europe had fired the Mid-Range Capability system.

The live-fire event occurred September 28 at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. It was part of a five-week program designed to familiarize soldiers with the Typhon. The battalion formally stood up in late 2025 and is one of only a handful of Army batteries assigned the system.

The test demonstrates a new land-based long-range strike option for the Europe-focused force. However, the battalion’s planned deployment to Europe was canceled in May. The Army had already fielded Typhon in the Pacific, including deployments to the Philippines and Japan.

The Typhon, also called the Mid-Range Capability system, gives the Army a land-based launcher for two long-range Navy munitions. Those are the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. It expands the Army’s ability to conduct long-range strikes without relying entirely on other parts of the joint force.

HIMARS is a different Army launcher that the same battalion also uses. The article identifies HIMARS as the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. It has a stated range of up to roughly 186 miles, while Typhon’s missiles can reach targets as far as 1,000 miles away.

The key difference is therefore the missile family and the reach they provide. Typhon adds a longer-range capability using Navy-fielded weapons. HIMARS remains a shorter-range system within the battalion’s broader fires toolkit.

The article gives Typhon a maximum reach of as far as 1,000 miles when using its two Navy-fielded munitions. Those are the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. This range gives Army commanders access to targets far beyond the reach of the battalion’s other named launcher.

The comparison is with the M142 HIMARS used by 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment. HIMARS has a shorter range of up to roughly 186 miles. The difference is about 814 miles when comparing the stated maximum figures, although the article does not provide separate ranges for each Typhon missile.

That gap matters because Typhon extends the Army’s land-based operational reach. It can give a combatant commander additional strike options from a land force, rather than requiring support from other parts of the joint force for every long-range target.

The test matters because it extends Typhon experience beyond the Pacific-based Army units that first fielded the system. The article identifies this as the first time an Army force focused on Europe had fired the Mid-Range Capability system. That makes the event a milestone for the Army’s European long-range fires mission.

The firing still happened inside the United States, at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. It was conducted by 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, a unit assigned to the Germany-based 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force. The Army had already sent Typhon to the Philippines and Japan.

The result is a broader distribution of training and experience. The battalion’s planned European deployment was canceled in May, but its test shows progress toward the capability described for Europe. It also gives the wider Army another unit with practical Typhon experience.

The 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force is part of the Army’s approach to operating within range of enemy forces. Its mission is to quickly detect and disrupt adversaries’ surveillance and targeting capabilities. The force is based in Germany and includes units that provide long-range fires, such as 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment.

Its method combines several capabilities rather than relying on missiles alone. Cyber and electronic warfare can help interfere with or disrupt an adversary’s surveillance and targeting activities. Long-range missile strikes provide the kinetic part of the mission. The article presents these tools as parts of one multi-domain approach.

This structure gives commanders ways to affect an adversary across different military and technical areas. The battalion is described as the primary kinetic long-range precision fires unit for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Its role is to extend reach, support NATO commitments, and contribute to deterrence.

The main change is greater control over long-range fires. A land-based Typhon unit can offer a combatant commander an Army-held strike option. That can reduce the need to call on other parts of the joint force whenever a long-range land-attack capability is needed.

Lt. Col. Derek Bartlett, the battalion commander, said Typhon provides range and options that the land force previously lacked. The system fires the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile and Standard Missile-6. Together, those weapons give the Army a stated ability to reach targets as far as 1,000 miles.

This does not replace every other military capability. The battalion still uses HIMARS, whose range is up to roughly 186 miles. Instead, Typhon adds firepower and flexibility to the unit’s portfolio. Commanders can consider a land-based option alongside support available from other parts of the joint force.

Land-based precision missiles can strengthen deterrence by making an Army force able to reach distant targets. The article links that extended reach to greater lethality and to more options for combatant commanders. It presents these capabilities as a way to affect an adversary’s calculations before and during conflict.

In Europe, 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment provides the kinetic missile element within the Germany-based 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force. The task force also uses cyber and electronic warfare to detect and disrupt enemy surveillance and targeting. Typhon adds missiles that can reach as far as 1,000 miles.

Multi-Domain Command-Europe describes the battalion as Army Europe and Africa’s primary kinetic long-range precision fires unit. It says the battalion extends operational reach and lethality, reinforces commitments to NATO allies, and contributes to deterrence and regional stability. The planned deployment was canceled, but the test advances relevant training.