U.S. Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, loaded a HIMARS launcher onto a KC-130J as part of a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Rapid Infiltration (HIRAIN) drill during exercise Typhoon Crossbow 26.1 on December 3, 2025. The event underscores how U.S. forces in Japan are refining agile, long-range precision strike options across the first island chain in a more contested Indo-Pacific theater.
On December 3, 2025, at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan, U.S. Marines executed a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Rapid Infiltration (HIRAIN) as part of exercise Typhoon Crossbow 26.1, as reported by the U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS). The drill saw a HIMARS launcher loaded onto a KC-130J Super Hercules from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 to rehearse rapid deployment of long-range precision fires. Beyond the image of a launcher rolling into a transport aircraft, the event illustrates how the U.S. Marine Corps intends to project strike capabilities across the first island chain under tight timelines. It signals that U.S. forces in Japan are adapting their posture to operate dispersed, mobile and hard to target.
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U.S. Marines used a HIMARS Rapid Infiltration drill at MCAS Iwakuni, loading the launcher onto a KC-130J during Typhoon Crossbow 26.1, to rehearse fast, island-hopping long-range strikes that keep forces dispersed, mobile and harder for adversaries in the Indo-Pacific to target (Picture Source: DVIDS)
During Typhoon Crossbow 26.1, Marines from VMGR-152 and artillery units from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines rehearsed the full HIRAIN sequence at Iwakuni: ground guiding the M142 HIMARS into the KC-130J, securing the load, and preparing for a rapid deployment toward forward operating locations. VMGR-152, permanently based at Iwakuni under 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, operates the KC-130J in both airlift and aerial refueling roles across the region. The scenario exercised aircraft crews, loadmasters and artillerymen in a single, tightly choreographed chain of actions designed to minimize time on the ground. The objective is to ensure that both aircraft and launcher can arrive, deploy, fire and depart before an adversary can detect, target and engage the system.
The HIRAIN concept rests on the combination of HIMARS mobility and tactical airlift, allowing long-range rocket artillery to be projected well beyond permanent bases. In recent years, the U.S. Marines have multiplied drills in which HIMARS is loaded onto KC-130J or C-17 aircraft, flown to austere or allied airstrips, offloaded to conduct a limited series of precision strikes, then re-embarked to return to rear areas. This approach is fully aligned with Force Design 2030 and emerging concepts such as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, which rely on small, dispersed “stand-in” forces operating inside contested zones. Within this framework, HIMARS becomes a key asset for generating long-range, precision fires in support of joint and coalition forces while remaining difficult to locate and track.
In the Indo-Pacific, such HIRAIN drills from Japanese bases carry clear strategic implications. They demonstrate that U.S. long-range fires are not fixed to a narrow set of known sites but can be repositioned along the first island chain using a network of runways and airfields, including those of allies and partners. For Japan, which is itself investing in extended-range strike and strengthening the defense of its southwestern islands, these rehearsals show how U.S. Marine units could operate from Japanese territory in a crisis, integrating into national infrastructure while remaining under U.S. command. For regional militaries watching closely, the message is that potential targets may be engaged by U.S. precision fires from multiple, shifting locations, complicating any attempt to saturate or neutralize a single base.
More broadly, the HIRAIN executed at Iwakuni fits into a pattern of exercises designed to signal readiness and adaptability to China, North Korea and other regional actors. By practicing the full cycle of deployment with HIMARS and KC-130J, from alert and loading to arrival at forward locations, simulated fires and rapid withdrawal, the Marine Corps refines a concept of operations built for contested littoral environments. This posture supports U.S. commitments under its alliances with Japan and other partners, while reinforcing the credibility of conventional deterrence in the Western Pacific. In practical terms, it suggests that any future contingency in the region could see small, mobile Marine detachments operating from Japanese and partner airfields, bringing long-range fires closer to potential flashpoints on short notice.
The Typhoon Crossbow 26.1 HIRAIN drill at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is more than a routine training snapshot; it encapsulates the evolution of U.S. expeditionary fires in the Indo-Pacific. By combining the mobility of the KC-130J with the range and precision of HIMARS, the U.S. Marine Corps is demonstrating a capacity to deploy, strike and withdraw quickly from dispersed locations along the first island chain. For Japan and regional partners, this underscores the growing role of their territory and infrastructure in enabling such operations. For potential adversaries, it is a reminder that fixed-base targeting will not be sufficient to neutralize U.S. long-range fires, which are increasingly designed to be agile, unpredictable and deeply integrated into a wider network of allied capabilities.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
AloJapan.com