As part of the military campaign involving Iran against the United States and Israel, recent analyses based on satellite imagery indicate that guided missile attacks were carried out which reportedly struck facilities housing radars associated with the U.S. THAAD ballistic missile defense system deployed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The information was reported by various international media outlets, which pointed to damage to at least one key radar located at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, one of the main operating locations for U.S. forces in the region.
According to images analyzed by specialists, the radar that was hit corresponds to the AN/TPY-2 model, an early warning and ballistic missile tracking system that forms a central component of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) architecture. Satellite photographs taken after the attacks show large craters in the vicinity of the installation, suggesting that the site was struck by multiple projectiles during the first days of the conflict, which began in late February.
U.S. officials cited in the reports indicated that the radar, valued at approximately USD 300 million, may have been destroyed or seriously damaged by the strike. This system serves as the primary sensor for THAAD batteries deployed in the region, responsible for detecting, tracking, and guiding interceptors intended to neutralize incoming ballistic missiles.
At the same time, satellite image analysis also identified damage to military installations located in Ruwais and Sader in the United Arab Emirates, where similar radar systems linked to the U.S. missile defense network in the Gulf are deployed. However, so far there has been no official confirmation regarding the extent of the damage suffered by these systems or whether they were operational at the time of the attacks.
THAAD: an air defense system for regional protection
Today, THAAD represents one of the most advanced components of the United States’ missile defense architecture. Designed to intercept ballistic missiles during the terminal phase of their trajectory, the system operates at very high altitudes—outside or at the upper edge of the atmosphere—allowing threats to be neutralized before they reach their intended targets.
Each THAAD battery is composed of six mobile launchers, dozens of interceptors, an AN/TPY-2 radar, and a command-and-control center, forming an integrated system capable of operating in a network with other air defense systems, such as the Patriot system.
The AN/TPY-2 radar is considered the “heart” of the system, as it operates in the high-resolution X-band and has an estimated detection range of between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers, enabling it to detect and track ballistic missiles with high precision from great distances. In this context, the loss of one of these radars not only affects the interception capability of a specific THAAD battery but can also create gaps in the regional early warning network that protects U.S. military bases and allied countries in the Middle East.
A scarce resource
Another factor explaining the significance of the attack is the limited availability of these systems worldwide. The United States currently operates only eight THAAD batteries, deployed in different strategic regions such as South Korea, Guam, and the Middle East. The destruction or disabling of one of their radars would require redistributing resources from other areas or reinforcing defenses with alternative systems, primarily Patriot batteries equipped with PAC-3 interceptors, whose stockpiles have also raised concerns due to the high rate of consumption in the current conflict.
Finally, the attacks against radars and early warning centers may reflect an Iranian strategy aimed at degrading the detection and coordination capabilities of U.S. defensive systems, rather than focusing solely on saturating defenses with missiles and drones. In that sense, the strikes against these systems represent a new chapter in the current regional war, in which both Iran and the coalition led by the United States are seeking to neutralize the adversary’s strategic capabilities in order to tilt the balance of the conflict.
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