Changes

Military analyst [[Brian Berletic]] reports THAAD production is low. From 2008 to 2024, [[Lockheed Martin]] produced 800 missiles, approximately 50 a year. In October 2024, ''The Times of Israel'' reported the THAAD system had been deployed to [[Israel]]. Berletic commented that not enough launchers exist for the quantity of missiles required to defend against the type of missile barrage [[Iran]] launched against Israel in early October 2024, which easily overwhelmed Israel's existing [[anti-ballistic missile system]]s. Even if the launchers did exist, the 180 missiles Iran reportedly launched, requiring up to 2 interceptors each, would have exhausted nearly half of all THAAD missiles ever produced. Berletic postulated that it is unlikely 1 battery (together with Israel's existing air defenses) will be enough to prevent a large scale missile barrage from inflicting heavy damage. Successive waves of missiles will not only exhaust both Israeli and US interceptors, it will leave the US depleted for years to come.

Military analyst [[Brian Berletic]] reports THAAD production is low. From 2008 to 2024, [[Lockheed Martin]] produced 800 missiles, approximately 50 a year. In October 2024, ''The Times of Israel'' reported the THAAD system had been deployed to [[Israel]]. Berletic commented that not enough launchers exist for the quantity of missiles required to defend against the type of missile barrage [[Iran]] launched against Israel in early October 2024, which easily overwhelmed Israel's existing [[anti-ballistic missile system]]s. Even if the launchers did exist, the 180 missiles Iran reportedly launched, requiring up to 2 interceptors each, would have exhausted nearly half of all THAAD missiles ever produced. Berletic postulated that it is unlikely 1 battery (together with Israel's existing air defenses) will be enough to prevent a large scale missile barrage from inflicting heavy damage. Successive waves of missiles will not only exhaust both Israeli and US interceptors, it will leave the US depleted for years to come.

In the [[12 Day War]] it was estimated that about 15% of the THAAD inventory was used up in about two weeks.<ref>https://x.com/carolinalion2/status/1937973878741209349?s=46</ref>

Two THAAD batteries were deployed to Israel in the buildup for the 12-Day War. As of the start of the June 2025 [[12 Day War]], the total number of THAAD interceptors in the US inventory numbered 534. That means a single load-out for all eight batteries would amount to 384 interceptors, leaving only 150 in the inventory. There were numerous reports at the time that the THAAD batteries had expended their entire magazine depth in a mostly futile attempts to shoot down incoming Iranian missiles.

 

When the 12-Day War was over, the total inventory of THAAD interceptors had been reduced from 534 to 342 – which means there are now not enough THAAD interceptors on the planet to load all eight extant batteries.

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