Pentagon sending THAAD missile defence system to Israel

Washington to help the ally protect itself from potential Iranian missile attack

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said on Sunday it will deploy a high-altitude anti-missile system and its US military crew to Israel to help the ally protect itself from potential Iranian missile attacks.

At the direction of US President Joe Biden, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin "authorised the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel's air defences following Iran's unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1," Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said in a statement.

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With Iran saying it will reply to any retaliatory action in kind, reports in Hebrew-language media over the weekend claimed that Washington was set to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense batteries to beef up Israel’s ability to fend off ballistic missiles, which Tehran’s proxies have also launched at Israel in recent months.

What is Thaad missile defence system?
The THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) missile system is a US missile defence system designed to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase of flight.
Here are some key points about THAAD:
PURPOSE: THAAD is primarily aimed at protecting troops, critical infrastructure, and civilian populations from missile threats.
COMPONENTS: The system consists of several components, including:
Interceptor missiles: Designed to collide with incoming threats.
Launchers: Mobile platforms that can deploy the interceptors.
Radar: AN/TPY-2 radar, which provides tracking and targeting data.
Deployment: THAAD is mobile and can be deployed quickly to various locations, making it adaptable to different threats.
Operational History: It has been deployed in various regions, notably in South Korea amid tensions with North Korea, and has conducted successful intercept tests.
How is it different from Patriot?
A Thaad system battery is considered complementary to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area, hitting targets at ranges of 150-200km.
Each THAAD consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.

The US has a wide range of missile defence systems arrayed across the Middle East and Europe, including Patriot systems. Officials have been discussing for months what types of air defense systems to deploy to the region and where to put them. Any move of a THAAD to Israel would involve the deployment of soldiers to operate the complex system.