Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced the deployment of the THAAD air defense system to Israel at the direction of President Joe Biden. Ryder reported that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has authorized the stationing of a THAAD battery and associated US military personnel in Israel. The action, emphasized by the Pentagon, is aimed at protecting Israel and Americans from possible missile threats from Iran.
The THAAD battery will strengthen Israel's integrated air defense system. This action demonstrates persistent advocacy on the part of the United States. The deployment of THAAD to Israel is part of broad changes made by the US Army in recent months to support Israel's defense. Following the Hamas attack in October 2023, President Biden ordered the deployment of the system to protect American interests in the region.
According to Defense Express magazine, Ukraine also needs a THAAD air defense system with unique characteristics. At the end of 2023, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense compiled a list of weapons from the United States to counter the Russian army. The document mentions Lockheed's THAAD air defense system, F-18 Hornet fighter jets and General Atomics unmanned aerial vehicles.
THAAD is capable of intercepting missiles at a distance of up to 200 kilometers and at an altitude of 100 – 150 kilometers. The anti-missile missile has a launch mass of 900 kilograms, a body length of 6.1 meters and a flight speed of Mach 8.2. However, there are currently only 42 launchers deployed in South Korea, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.