The United States gives Saudi Arabia seven THAAD missile defense systems and 360 missiles

The United States intends to significantly strengthen the Saudi missile defense system. High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) complexes will be sent to the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula for this purpose.

The US State Department approved the potential sale of THAAD last October. The value of the deal was $15 billion. The United States will deliver seven missile defense systems and 360 missiles over four years.

THAAD is a system developed by Lockheed Martin. It is designed to destroy ballistic missiles in the final phase of their flight. The system uses the “hit to kill” principle, so the interceptor missile does not have a warhead.

The X-band radar is a major component of the THAAD system. The radar station can detect and track ballistic missiles up to 1,000 km away. It has a maximum interception range of 200 km and a height of 150 km.