Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD)

• Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) is an advanced American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy short, medium, and intermediate-range missiles.
• It employs a “hit to kill” strategy, meaning it physically collides with incoming missiles during their descent phase to neutralize the threat.
• The development of THAAD was initiated by the U.S. following the Scud missile attacks by Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, which caused extensive damage in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
• Although the first proposal for THAAD was made in 1987, it faced several test failures before a successful version was developed in 1999.
• The U.S. first deployed components of the THAAD system to Israel in 2008, with additional deployments in 2012 and 2019 to further bolster Israel’s defense capabilities.

Latest News about Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD)

• 16 October 2024
  • The United States has recently announced it will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery, along with troops, to Israel in response to the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah.
  • This deployment has brought THAAD back into the spotlight as a critical defense system for countering missile threats in volatile regions.