Tag: Philippines Visualizations

Visualization: US Military Aircraft Training Incident

On Feb. 24, a U.S. Air Force C-146 Wolfhound struck a concrete road barrier while attempting to take off from a designated alternate landing zone on a bypass road in Laoac, Pangasinan, during contingency training with Philippine counterparts, injuring all five personnel onboard.

This was the first such alternate roadway landing activity in the Philippines, tied to both contingency operations and humanitarian/disaster response scenarios.

Above is TSM’s visualization of the incident’s location.

Visualization: Potential US Missile Deployment Locations in the Philippines

Authors: Chris Dayton & Ethan Connell

Per USNI News, U.S. and Philippine defense officials have committed to increasing missile and drone deployments across the archipelago as part of broader First Island Chain deterrence efforts, with recent rotations spotlighting Northern Luzon and the Batanes areas nearest Taiwan. Above is our visualization of potential U.S. missile deployment locations in the Philippines and the approximate engagement envelopes for NMESIS (180 km), Typhon/MRC (450 km), and HIMARS (500 km).

Visualization: New Philippine Navy Monitoring Detatchment at Tubbahta Reef

Authors: Chris Dayton & Ethan Connell

The Philippine Navy’s Western Naval Command will stand up a Naval Monitoring Detachment at Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, with the stated goal of improving patrol, surveillance, and rapid-response coverage of Chinese naval activity in the Sulu Sea, while also supporting the reef’s protection against illegal activity. Above is our visualization of the detachment’s proposed location:

Visualization: Philippines MQ-9A Deployment

Author: Chris Dayton

Per Aaron-Matthew Lariosa, the U.S. Marine Corps temporarily deployed a unit of MQ-9A drones to Basa Air Base in the Philippines beginning in 2024, supporting Philippine intelligence collection in the South China Sea and providing surveillance assistance of maritime threats.

Above is our visualization of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 1’s deployment and the MQ-9A’s operational range:

Visualization: Brahmos Missile Deployment

Visualization: Delared Scarborough Shoal “Natural Nature Reserve”

Visualization: New AFP Forward Operating Base Mahato

Visualization: Map of Scarborough Shoal Collision and Nearby Naval Activity

Authors: Chris Dayton, Ethan Connell

On August 11, 2025, a PLAN destroyer and a China Coast Guard cutter collided with each other in the waters around Scarborough Shoal during a close-quarters pursuit of a Philippine government vessel.

Above is a visualization highlighting the reported collision site and the floating barrier at the shoal, along with USS Higgins’ approximate 8/12/2025 position and estimated track derived from public AIS data.

Visualization: Map of Territories and Claims in the Spratly Islands

Authors: Chris Dayton, Ethan Connell

The PLA’s Southern Theater Command recently undertook live-fire exercises to the north of the Spratly Islands, which they claim under their Nine-Dash Line.

Above is our visualization of the administration of those features along with China’s claims, highlighting a May 21st incident in which a China Coast Guard ship sideswiped and water-cannoned a Philippine government vessel in the waters around Sandy Cay.

Visualization: AFP Northern Luzon Facilities and Deployments

Author: Chris Dayton, Ian Struble, Ethan Connell

As Balikatan 2025 continues, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner recently underscored the “inevitability” of Philippine involvement in a Taiwan conflict, citing 250,000 overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan.

The Northern Luzon Command’s strategic position is pivotal, as joint drills with the US intensify near the Bashi Channel and Luzon Strait.

This map contains all deployed unit land facilities, relevant airfields, and naval bases/facilities.