U.S. Army Receives Eighth THAAD Anti-Missile System Amid Strain on Global Arsenal

<p >The U.S. Army has begun to receive its eighth Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/controversial-u-s-thaad-arsenal-in-korea-to-expand-why-forward-deployed-missiles-are-a-prized-asset-against-china" target="_blank">long range anti-missile system</a>, with three launchers and a fire control unit having been delivered by Lockheed Martin as part of a Minimum Engagement Package. These assets will be integrated with a Raytheon AN/TPY-2 radar, with delivery of remaining components to complete the system expected to be completed in the summer. Vice President of Upper Tier Integrated Air and Missile Defence at Lockheed Martin, Dawn Golightly, elaborated regarding the delivery: “This eighth battery will significantly enhance the U.S. Army’s ability to respond to the growing and evolving ballistic missile threats seen recently.” “THAAD is a combat-proven, game-changing asset for America and its allies that’s being used in-theatre to great effect right now,” she added. The THAAD system first entered service in 2008, although a low rate of production has left the Army with small arsenal of less than eight complete systems, which very thinly stretched <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/thaad-worldwide-us-army-respond" target="_blank">across much of the world</a>. The system is incapable of intercepting intercontinental range or short range ballistic missiles, and is not well optimised to targeting aircraft or cruise missiles, but is heavily specialised in intercepting medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles. The Army’s seven existing THAAD systems are currently split between five air defence regiments.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/20/article_68557d618f7425_08712469.jpg" title="AN/TPY-2 Radar From THAAD System"></p><p >The U.S. Army’s THAAD arsenal has become increasingly thinly stretched, with the long range ballistic missile arsenals of North Korea, China, Iran, and<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/all-europe-range-oreshnik-belarus-2025" > recently Russia and Belarus</a>, being its primary targets. The Army first deployed a THAAD unit in June 2009, with the system stationed in Hawaii to provide defence against possible North Korean ballistic missile attacks. Advances in North Korea’s <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/north-koreas-guam-killer-why-america-hates-the-hwasong-12-ballistic-missile" >intermediate range ballistic missile</a> program led to a decision to deploy a second THAAD on Guam in 2013. The systems were also tested on Wake Island, which has <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-and-n-korea-in-the-crosshairs-us-expands-airbase-on-disputed-wake-island" >gained growing importance</a> in American plans for a potential war with North Korea and China as an alternative to Guam for basing. A controversial and high profile deployment was subsequently initiated in 2016 in South Korea, where the system’s AN/TPY-2 radar provided the capability to peer almost 3,000km into Chinese territory. While previously THAAD deployments were concentrated in the Pacific, and to a lesser extent in the Middle East, Russia’s <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-ambassador-oreshnik-rein-in-british" target="_blank">introduction</a> of the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile, its <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/belarus-producing-launchers-new-oreshnik-intermediate-range-ballistic-missiles" target="_blank">sharing of the missiles</a> with Belarus, and its apparent <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/footage-first-transfers-nkorean-russia-pukkuksong2" target="_blank">procurement</a> of North Korean Pukkuksong-2 medium range ballistic missiles, are expected to fuel calls to deploy THAAD systems in Europe, and possibly in Alaska, further stretching the arsenal. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/20/article_68557f509f0b17_97838510.jpeg" title="North Korean Hwasong-12 `Guam Killer` Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile"></p><p > </p><p >On October 13, 2024, a THAAD system was for the first time deployed to Israel, in response to Iranian and Yemeni forces’ demonstrated ability to launch long range <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/yemen-strike-israeli-defences-fail" >missile strikes</a> against <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/strike-completely-destroys-f35-base" >sensitive military targets</a> across the country, and the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/israel-air-defence-shortages-iranian-hezbollah" >depletion</a> of Israel’s own missile defences. The system was first used in combat by the U.S. Army on December 26 that year to attempt to shoot down a Yemeni ballistic missile fired into Israel. Reports indicated that this attempt <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-army-thaad-fail-first-combat-test-yemeni-missiles" >ended in failure</a>. At present, the THAAD system in Israel is expected to see its surface-to-air interceptor arsenal resupplied due to the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/israel-missile-defence-increasingly-depleted-iran" >extreme strain</a> placed on Israeli and American air defences by Iranian missile strikes, which were initiated on June 13 in response to Israeli air attacks on the country. The deployment of a THAAD system in Israel has complemented by Israel’s own anti-missile network and the deployment of AEGIS destroyers equipped for missile defence near Israeli territory. The low interception rate by Israeli and American air defence systems against Iranian attacks, however, has against brought THAAD’s effectiveness into question, with the system expected to be of far less utility against more advanced utility against hypersonic missile attacks launched by missiles such as the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-launches-first-strike-isreal-mach-13-fattah-hypersonic" target="_blank">new Iranian Fattah</a>.</p>