Advertisement

THAAD: In flight
(click to view full)

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation.

This capability makes THAAD different from a Patriot PAC-3 or the future MEADS system, which are point defense options with limited range that are designed to hit a missile or warhead just before impact. The SM-3 Standard missile is a far better comparison, but the SM-3 is a naval counterpart and could offer positioning advantages or disadvantages depending on the area to be defended. A multi-layered anti-ballistic missile system should ideally have both land and naval options, as well as theater-level and point defenses backed by a 3rd tier of longer ranged midcourse-defense missiles (q.v. GBI) and/or space-based weapons that can hit the missile during its boost phase.

This is DID’s FOCUS article covering the THAAD system, and newer items will be indicated in green type as a reader convenience. The latest news includes a scapped test, and the system’s first foreign order request from the UAE…

• The THAAD System: Further Details (i.e. “Continue reading…”)
• The THAAD Program [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources

One Source: Hundreds of programs; Thousands of links, photos, and analyses

DII brings a complete collection of articles with original reporting and research, and expert analyses of events to your desktop - no need for multiple modules, or complex subscriptions. All supporting documents, links, & appendices accompany each article.

Benefits

• Save time
• Eliminate your blind spots
• Get the big picture, quickly
• Keep up with the important facts
• Stay on top of your projects and your competitiors

Features

• Ability to conduct complex searches
• Coverage of procurement and doctrine issues
• Timeline of past and future program events
• Comprehensive links to other useful resources

Already a member? Login