Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) element provides the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) with a globally-transportable, rapidly-deployable capability to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight.

Overview

• Land-based element capable of shooting down a ballistic missile both inside and just outside the atmosphere.
• Highly effective against the ballistic missile threats.
• Uses hit-to-kill technology whereby kinetic energy destroys the incoming warhead.
• The high-altitude intercept mitigates effects of enemy weapons of mass destruction before they reach the ground.
  

Details

• Rapidly-deployable by being globally-transportable via air, land and sea.
• THAAD battery consists of four main components:
  Launcher: Truck-mounted, highly-mobile, able to be stored; interceptors can be fired and rapidly reloaded.
  Interceptors: Eight per launcher.
  Radar: Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance (AN/TPY-2) – Largest air-transportable x-band radar in the world searches, tracks, and discriminates objects and provides updated tracking data to the interceptor.
  Fire Control: Communications and data-management backbone; links THAAD components together; links THAAD to external Command and Control nodes and to the entire BMDS; plans and executes intercept solutions.

Development

• State-of-the-art engineering ensures high standards and efficient production and maintenance.
• Comprehensive program of ground and flight tests, quality assurance, and design and development activities support mission success.
• Major events in the THAAD Program:
  • Completed 15 successful intercepts in 15 attempts since program initiation. The two most recent tests were conducted in July 2017.
  • Continuing element development to incrementally improve missile defense capability.

Fielding

• Seven THAAD Batteries have been procured and delivered to the US Army.
• MDA delivered the 200th operational Interceptor to the US Army in August 2018.

Foreign Military Sales

• Two THAAD Batteries procured by and delivered to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• UAE Batteries are fully operational.