The live-fire test, conducted on 16 July, involved the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 and Australia’s 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR), simulating a littoral combat operation. MRF-D Marines travelled overland in Australia’s Northern Territory, while MV-22B Ospreys from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 provided aerial support.
“We validated mobile command and control at scale — integrating joint and multinational fire assets to apply decisive combat power at a time and place of our choosing,” said Colonel Jason C. Armas, commanding officer of MRF-D 25.3. “That’s how MRF-D operates as a stand-in force: lethal, agile and always in position to act with allies and partner forces.”
U.S. Marines and Australian soldiers coordinated to secure launch zones, deconflict airspace, and prepare for the missile launch. The Typhon firing marked the first time the U.S. Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force deployed the containerised system, derived from the Navy’s MK 41 shipboard launchers, outside the United States.
Before the strike, Marines from Marine Air-Control Group 38 cleared air corridors as the simulated enemy ship was located — equipped with an active emitter to mimic a maritime radar threat. Intelligence and surveillance assets, including U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft and allied special forces, fed real-time data to the strike team.
A combined ground and air insertion was executed by U.S. and Australian forces, securing positions near key fire assets. During the manoeuvre, Ospreys reverse-pumped aviation fuel to Australian ARH Tiger helicopters, demonstrating interoperable fuelling capabilities between allied aircraft.
Simultaneously, U.S. Marines from the Logistics Combat Element advanced south with fuel and logistics support to maintain operational readiness. This enabled continued projection of MRF-D’s Ground Combat Element and supported the Australian forces upon their arrival at the training site.
The MRF-D Combat Operations Center facilitated mobile command for the MAGTF commander, integrating cyber, intelligence, fires, and communications Marines. Built from ruggedised civilian trucks and a retrofitted camper van, the centre ensured full command and control while maintaining mobility and concealment.
“We executed this operation across the competition continuum and inside simulated contested areas: sensing and making sense in the complexity of the modern battlespace,” added Armas.
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, which began on 13 July and runs until 27 July, involves 35,000 troops from 19 nations. The event has been held biennially since 2005 and focuses on multinational cooperation and joint-force readiness.
Following the SM-6 launch, MRF-D Marines and the 5/7 RAR continued to train for seizing maritime terrain using MV-22B Osprey insertions in Cloncurry and Bootu, Northern Territory. These exercises are aimed at rehearsing distributed basing, expeditionary refuelling, and manoeuvre in contested environments.
A detachment of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 F-35B Lightning II jets is currently operating from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. The deployment marks the second time a U.S. Marine F-35B squadron has integrated with a U.K. Carrier Strike Group, following VMFA-211’s deployment on HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021.
The remainder of VMFA-242 is embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America, which is also participating in Talisman Sabre. The U.S. Navy’s George Washington Carrier Strike Group, including USS George Washington, USS Shoup, USS Robert Smalls, and Carrier Air Wing Five, is also involved in the exercise.
Source: USNI News.
