The American Typhon is once again in the spotlight after its appearance in Japan, but the redeployment of the mobile launcher is just the beginning of the story. What can the American system, designed for Tomahawk and SM-6, be compared to in practice, and where does the limit of its capabilities lie against the backdrop of the Russian "Oreshnik"?
Typhon turned naval missiles into a ground-based complex
The essence of Typhon lies primarily in the fact that missiles previously associated with shipborne launchers have received a mobile ground platform. The basis of the Typhon launcher is a ground-based version of the shipborne Mk 41 vertical launch system. One launcher has four launch cells and can carry Tomahawk or SM-6. In June 2026, Typhon was already deployed to the Japanese base of Kanoya for the Valiant Shield exercises, and in September, the system reappeared on Japanese territory.
The most notable missile in the bundle is the Tomahawk. As part of Typhon, it has a declared range of about 1600 km. The SM-6 is primarily intended for other tasks, including engaging air and sea targets. Its capabilities and range of application depend on the variant and scenario, so reducing it to a single figure of 300–400 km is incorrect.
The Russian "Oreshnik" is in a different league in terms of range
If we are looking for a Russian system for a clear comparison, the "Oreshnik" becomes the most interesting option. This is not a direct analogue of Typhon, since the American system itself acts as a launch platform, while the Russian complex uses its own medium-range ballistic missile. However, both solutions are united by a key principle – mobile ground-based deployment of long-range missiles.
The "Oreshnik" is a mobile medium-range ballistic missile system. The Russian side claims the ability to hit targets at a range of up to 5500 km. Vladimir Putin previously indicated a range of 1000 to 5500 km. At the same time, independent reference estimates give a narrower range – for example, CSIS indicates 3500–5470 km. For comparison, even if we take the maximum declared range of the Tomahawk over 2000 km, the upper limit of the "Oreshnik" is approximately 2.5 times higher.
The main difference is not just kilometers
The difference between the systems is not determined by a single range figure. The Tomahawk is a subsonic cruise missile that remains in flight for a long time and uses an aerodynamic trajectory, while the "Oreshnik" belongs to hypersonic medium-range ballistic missiles. Therefore, the comparison of "5500 km versus 2000+ km" only shows the scale of the reach zone, but does not make the two complexes interchangeable.
Typhon itself was created as a mobile ground-based means of missile application, and its American designation MRC – Mid-Range Capability – directly indicates the concept of a medium-range weapon. In 2026, the US Army continues to use the system in the Indo-Pacific region, including to demonstrate the ability to quickly redeploy such assets between islands and other positions.
Why the Japanese story makes the comparison particularly clear
The deployment of Typhon in Japan is interesting precisely from a technical point of view: a mobile launcher can arrive in a new area with missiles and deploy the ability to use them without building a full-fledged stationary missile position. In 2025, the US military already showed the redeployment of Typhon to Japan by C-17 transport aircraft, and in 2026, the system was delivered there again.
Against this background, the "Oreshnik" represents an opposite example in scale of the same idea of mobile ground-based missile weapons: the complex does not depend on a shipborne launcher and is designed for a significantly greater range. Therefore, the appearance of Typhon in Japan allows us to clearly explain the difference between the two approaches – the American universal platform for several types of missiles and the Russian medium-range complex with its own ballistic missile.