• Source:JND
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President Joe Biden's administration on Sunday announced it will send 100 US troops to Israel along with an advanced anti-missile system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), in a key deployment meant to boost the country’s air defences following missile attacks by Iran. President Biden said the move was meant “to defend Israel," in response to a recent barrage of Iranian missile strikes on Israel on October 1. This comes as 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 US military’s layered air defence systems. It is a state-of-the-art missile defence system designed to counter short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats.

Components of THAAD

THAAD is composed of four main elements:

Interceptor: Destroys incoming missiles using impact force.

Launch vehicle: Mobile trucks that carry and launch the interceptors.

Radar: Tracks and detects threats from a range of 870 to 3,000 km.

Fire control system: Coordinates the launching and targeting of interceptors.

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.

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Who Built THAAD?

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.
‘Combat-proven defence’

“THAAD is a highly effective, combat-proven defence against short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. THAAD is the only US system designed to intercept targets outside and inside the atmosphere," according to the Lockheed Martin website.

“THAAD continues incremental capability improvements within the weapon system to continually improve effectiveness against current and emerging threats," it adds.

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When Will THAAD Be Deployed?

Notably, US officials did not say how quickly the system would be deployed to Israel. The US deployed one of the batteries to the Middle East along with additional Patriot battalions to bolster protections for US forces in the region late last year after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas militants.

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. Experts believe that the THAAD will add another layer to Israel’s already significant air defenses, which include separate systems designed to intercept long-range, medium-range and short-range threats. Israel recently retired its US-made Patriot systems after decades of use.

(With Agency Inputs)