Israel uses THAAD system for first time against ballistic missile from Yemen

The American THAAD missile defense system intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Israel from Yemen. This marks the first use of such a system by the Israeli military, according to Reuters and The Times of Israel.

The system was used in an attempt to intercept a missile from Yemen in the past 24 hours, and an analysis will determine its success. This marks the first use of the THAAD system, which was deployed in Israel in October of this year.

Footage shared on social media shows the system launching an interceptor during the attack by Houthi forces.

“18 years I’ve been waiting for this,” says an American soldier in the video.

מערכת ה- THAAD האמריקנית לקחה חלק ביירוט הטיל הבליסטי ששוגר אמש מתימן. אפשר לשמוע את אחד החיילים האמריקניים מתרגש “18 שנים חיכיתי לזה” pic.twitter.com/s4VoMfMhaF

— איתי בלומנטל Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) December 27, 2024

The Israeli Defense Forces stated that the Houthi missile was intercepted by air defense systems, without specifying whether it was the Israeli or American system.

THAAD missile defense system

THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is a mobile ground-based missile defense system designed to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles or enemy aircraft at high altitudes outside the atmosphere. It is produced by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space.

The system does not have a dedicated warhead; instead, it uses a kinetic interception concept, where the target is destroyed by the kinetic energy of the interceptor. This makes the THAAD system far more effective against high-speed aerial targets than the Patriot missile systems (PAC-1 and PAC-2).

The THAAD interceptor has a launch mass of 900 kg and a length of 6.17 meters. It can intercept fast-moving targets above the stratosphere at altitudes of 150-200 kilometers, with a range of up to 200 kilometers.

The interceptor’s speed is between 2700-2800 meters per second, with a maximum speed of no less than 8 Mach. The speed of the target is estimated to be between 3.5 and 4.8 km/s.

Use of THAAD

The US military deployed the first THAAD battery in Israel following a massive missile attack from Iran on October 1.

Subsequently, the Israeli government requested a second THAAD battery due to growing threats from Iran.

Additionally, after a ballistic missile strike on Dnipro by Russian forces on November 21, the Ukrainian government also requested the THAAD system from the US for enhanced missile defense.