US, Japanese and Philippine Forces Conduct Joint Live-Fire Sinking Exercise in Luzon Strait During Balikatan 2026
A decommissioned BRP Quezon was sent to the bottom during Balikatan 2026 live-fire drills on May 6, 2026. Japanese Type 88 missiles struck the hull for the first time outside Japan as part of the exercise. The event took place roughly 50 miles offshore in waters between Taiwan and the Philippines.
manilatimes.netPhilippine and Japanese forces during a live-fire sinking exercise in the Luzon Strait. m.
U.S. Army M30/31 Guided Multiple-Launch Rocket System fired as a probing round from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. The GMLRS artillery rocket has a range of around 50 miles. m.
U.S. Marine Corps Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System operated by the Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment and from a Philippine Navy C-Star system. The NMESIS employs an uncrewed variant of the 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicle known as the Remotely Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary-Fires mounting a launcher with two Naval Strike Missiles that have a range of around 130 miles.
The baseline NSM has a range of around 110 nautical miles. The C-Star, the Philippine Navy’s primary anti-ship missile produced by South Korea’s LIG Nex1, has a range of around 90 miles and was likely fired from the Philippine Navy frigates BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Antonio Luna. m.
The Type 88 firing marked the first time during a Balikatan exercise and the first time anywhere outside Japan. The Type 88, also known as the SSM-1, was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the 1980s and has a range of around 100 miles.
U.S. The target vessel, which had a standard displacement of 890 tons, sank rapidly after being struck.
U.S. Navy as the USS Vigilance, an Auk class minesweeper, during World War II. It was transferred to the Philippines and served in a new role beginning in the late 1960s before being decommissioned in 2021. Philippine Air Force FA-50 light combat aircraft and A-29 Super Tucano turboprop close support aircraft had been prepared to strike the target but were stood down after the ship went down.
HIMARS fired onto the same coordinates as a coup de grace after the ship was sunk or sinking. U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and an MQ-9 drone took part in the exercise. The sinking exercise was part of the Balikatan 2026 exercise.
The maritime strike drills took place around the Paoay Sand Dunes in the coastal region of Ilocos Norte on the island of Luzon. The Luzon Strait sits between Taiwan and the Philippines and spans about 220 miles at its narrowest point. The Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed that the missiles launched hit the target.
According to a Philippine military spokesperson, another round of live-fire drills will take place tomorrow as part of Balikatan utilizing a stand-by target vessel. The Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown is involved in Balikatan 2026 but did not take part in the live-fire event.
U.S. Army test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile from a Typhon launcher in the central Philippines, hitting a target around 370 miles away in Nueva Ecija. The Typhon ground-based missile system can also fire SM-6 multi-purpose missiles.
@TheWarZoneWire reported that the live-fire campaign occurred amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions and underscored the strategic importance of the Luzon Strait as a vital shipping route and potential military corridor.
