The US reportedly used as much as 20 per cent of its global stock of advanced THAAD missiles defending Israel against Iranian missile attacks during a ferocious 12-day battle, raising fresh concerns over the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of Washington's missile defence policy. According to Military Watch Magazine, between June 13 and 24, US forces fired between 60 and 80 THAAD interceptors to defend Israeli cities against an Iranian barrage comprising advanced missiles such as the Ghadr, Emad, Kheibar Shekan, and the Fattah-1 hypersonic missile. Hypersonic missiles, traveling at velocities up to Mach 15, are a serious challenge to any missile defence system. It costs between USD 12 million and USD 15 million to launch each THAAD interceptor, bringing the deployment cost close to 1 billion USD, much higher than the cost of the missile barrages by Iran.

What Is THAAD and Why Was It Used?

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is the most advanced shield of America against short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. Unlike conventional missile defense interceptors that explode close to an object, THAAD employs "hit-to-kill" technology — hitting incoming missiles with kinetic energy to blow them up by physical impact at high altitudes, either within or outside of the Earth's atmosphere. THAAD's advanced AN/TPY-2 radar system, which can track threats at distances up to 3,000 kilometres away, gives it its superior accuracy and rapid response.

What Makes THAAD So Accurate?

A big reason for THAAD’s high success rate is its robust AN/TPY-2 radar system, which is among the most developed missile tracking radars in the world.
• In the forward-based mode, the radar can detect and track missiles at ranges of 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles), providing defenders with valuable extra seconds to react.
• Terminal mode: The radar relocates to focus upwards to detect warheads as they come in at high velocities heading toward their targets.

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Coupled with data links to other missile defence networks, including the PAC-3 Patriot and Aegis systems on US Navy ships, as well as real-time fire control systems, THAAD offers a multi-layered, flexible defense that can neutralise even sophisticated missile threats. Production versions of THAAD have never missed their target in live-fire exercises, the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reports.

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The US manufactures only about 50 to 60 THAAD interceptors annually, meaning it would take at least a year to replenish what was used in less than two weeks. The Pentagon currently operates seven THAAD batteries globally, protecting strategic areas such as South Korea, Guam, and Hawaii against threats from North Korea, China, and Russia. The intense usage in Israel has raised controversy surrounding whether America can afford to invest such resources without putting other high-threat areas at risk of gaps. The enormous spending of THAAD interceptors has reopened questioning in Washington about the expensive cost of defending allies versus the lower-cost offensive capabilities of threat actors such as Iran.