Behind these five letters is a high-performance anti-missile system capable of destroying short-range up to 1,000 km (621 miles), medium - 1,000 km to 3,000 km (621 miles to 1864 miles) and intermediate - 3,000 to 5,000 km (1864 to 3100 miles) ballistic missiles when they are in their final range flight phase or approaching the target, writes Rador Radio Romania.
According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, THAAD is capable of intercepting missiles at a distance of 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles), both in and out of the atmosphere. With an almost perfect success rate under testing conditions. A miracle made possible by a radar system called "AN/TPY-2", for "Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance" capable of detecting missiles at a distance of 3,000 km (1864 miles).
Unlike other systems of the same type, it works kinetically, that is, it intercepts missiles by colliding with them and not exploding near their warhead.
Logistically, THAADs are mounted on vans. Each unit is equipped with a radar and has six different launchers, which have eight interceptors each. If that's not enough, a battle management system built into THAAD allows them to communicate with other US missile defenses such as Patriots and Aegis (weapons typically installed on US Navy ships).
According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, the US military has seven such anti-missile systems. The Pentagon has not yet announced the date of THAAD's deployment to Israel.
Lockheed Martin, America's largest arms manufacturer, builds and integrates the THAAD system, which is designed to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
