What Is THAAD, The US Anti-Missile Defence System Being Deployed In Israel

The US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launching station preparing to load onto a 4th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP)

The United States has been privately urging Israel to calibrate its response to avoid triggering a broader war in the Middle East

The Biden administration on Sunday said it will send US troops to Israel along with an advanced anti-missile system, in a key deployment meant to boost the country’s air defences following missile attacks by Iran.

Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder described the deployment as part of “the broader adjustments the US military has made in recent months” to support Israel. US troops in recent months have aided Israel’s defence from warships and fighter jets in the Middle East when it came under Iranian attack.

What is THAAD?

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, is a critical part of the U.S. military’s layered air defence systems and adds to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defences.

A THAAD battery usually requires about 100 troops to operate. It counts six truck mounted launchers, with eight interceptors on each launcher, and a powerful radar. Lockheed Martin, the biggest US arms maker, builds and integrates the THAAD system, which is designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Raytheon, under RTX, builds its advanced radar.

“THAAD is a highly effective, combat-proven defensc against short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. THAAD is the only US system designed to intercept targets outside and inside the atmosphere. THAAD continues incremental capability improvements within the weapon system to continually improve effectiveness against current and emerging threats,” according to the Lockheed Martin website.

Notably, US officials did not say how quickly the system would be deployed to Israel. The Pentagon said a THAAD was deployed to southern Israel for drills in 2019, the last and only time it was known to be there.

(With agency inputs)