US bolsters Israel defenses with advanced THAAD deployment
The US Department of Defense has announced deploying the THAAD anti-ballistic defence system in Israel. Here, we explain the reasons for this deployment and discuss its capabilities.
In response to previous Iranian rocket attacks, the United States has supported Israel with various military assets, including an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with SM-3 missiles. Now, a THAAD system battery has been deployed to the location.
This isn't the first combat deployment of this battery in Israel. It was previously positioned in the Middle East following the attacks on 7 October 2023 and in 2019 as part of exercises integrating American and Israeli air and missile defence systems.
THAAD — the Patriot missile on steroids
THAAD, which stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is a fundamentally anti-ballistic system designed to intercept ballistic missiles while still in space. It is positioned between the Patriot system, which intercepts missiles in the final phase of their flight, and GBI or, in the future, NGI interceptors, which destroy targets further out in space.
First introduced into service in 2008, THAAD can intercept ballistic missiles at distances up to 124 miles and altitudes of 93 miles. These capabilities significantly surpass the approximately 25-mile range of the Patriot system loaded with PAC-3 MSE missiles.
A THAAD system battery comprises an AN/TPY-2 radar with a range of approximately 621 to 1,864 miles, depending on the radar cross-section of the target, a command vehicle, and typically six launchers mounted on HEMTT trucks, each capable of holding eight missiles.
The interceptors are two-stage constructions, 20 feet long and 16 inches in diameter, with a launch weight of 1,460 pounds. The first section comprises a solid-fuel booster that detaches after burning out. At the same time, the second is a manoeuvrable component with a guidance warhead and its liquid-fuel rocket engine designed to destroy the target through direct impact.
Guidance is expected to be managed via an optoelectronic sensor head with an infrared sensor that likely detects the target's thermal signature. The system's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, announced that by December 2023, it had delivered the 800th missile for the seven THAAD batteries currently in service with the US Army.
