The US has deployed a THAAD air defense battery in Israel: why Ukraine desperately needs it

The US has deployed a THAAD air defense battery in Israel: why Ukraine desperately needs it Dmitry Usik

THAAD air defense launcher/US DoD~6 0~p _ngcontent-sc101 class=”news-annotation”>The US military has deployed a THAAD air defense battery in Israel. As the US writes, this should help strengthen Israel's air defenses after unprecedented attacks by Iran.

This was stated by Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder.

Deployment of THAAD air defense in Israel

Pat Ryder reported that, at the direction of President Joe Biden, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has authorized the deployment of a THAAD battery and associated US military personnel to Israel.

The THAAD battery will strengthen Israel's integrated air defense system. The move underscores the United States' strong commitment to defending Israel and protecting Americans in Israel from any further ballistic missile attacks from Iran, the Pentagon said.

It added that this is part of broader changes the U.S. military has made in recent months to bolster Israel's defense.

This is also not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. Following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Biden ordered its deployment to protect American troops and interests in the region.

Ukraine needs the THAAD air defense system

Deffence Express writes that the deployment of the THAAD system with its outstanding characteristics is extremely relevant for Ukraine as well.

Thus, at the end of 2023, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry presented a list of US weapons that our country needs to fight the Russian army at a closed meeting. Reuters journalists reported that the document, in particular, indicated the THAAD air defense system manufactured by Lockheed. Also there could be found F-18 “Hornet” fighters, three types of General Atomics drones, in particular the MQ-9B Sky Guardian.

It is noted that the main advantage of the THAAD complex is that it is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a range of up to 200 kilometers and at an altitude of 100 – 150 kilometers. The anti-missile of this complex has a launch weight of 900 kilograms, a body length of 6.1 meters and a flight speed of 8.2 Mach, the target is hit by direct kinetic damage, according to the hit-to-kill principle.

However, the main problem with THAAD is that there are currently 42 launchers, or only 7 batteries, of which one battery is currently deployed in South Korea, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.