Balikatan 2026 Day 15: PH-US-Japan Counter-Landing Live Fire Exercise North (CLLFX-N) at La Paz Sand Dunes, Laoag, Ilocos Norte — HIMARS, Apache Longbow, 105mm Howitzers

On May 4, 2026 — Day 15 of Exercise Balikatan 41-2026 — Philippine, US, and Japanese forces executed the Counter-Landing Live Fire Exercise North (CLLFX-N) at La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. The high-intensity combined-arms drill featured HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopters, and 105mm howitzers in a simulated defense of Northern Luzon's coastline against a mock amphibious invasion — testing allied forces' ability to detect, intercept, and repel hostile landing forces approaching from the sea. Ilocos Norte is located in the northwestern tip of Luzon Island, directly facing the Luzon Strait that separates the Philippines from Taiwan, making the CLLFX-N one of Balikatan 2026's most strategically sensitive exercises in geographic terms. The exercise complements the earlier CLLFX-South conducted in Palawan (Day 8, April 27), completing a two-axis counter-landing demonstration spanning both sides of the Philippine archipelago. Local coastal areas were cordoned off for the duration of the live-fire exercise. The Manila Times reported AFP officials stated the drills were 'not preparation for invasion' — characterizing them as defensive posture exercises. Philippine News Agency confirmed three service branches participated: Philippine Army, US Army, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force units. The CLLFX-N is the final major live-fire event of Balikatan 2026 before the exercise's closing ceremonies (May 8). China did not issue an immediate formal response to the Ilocos Norte drills, though the PLA Southern Theater Command had framed all Balikatan 2026 exercises as 'provocative' since the exercise's opening day (April 20, 2026).