THAAD transfer to ‘Israel’ points to crisis in defense systems: Report
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 on Friday reported that “Israel” has requested the US to deploy a second THAAD battery to bolster its defenses against a potential Iranian retaliation to its planned upcoming attack.
Related:
U.S. Missile Defense Is Under Strain
The United States, however, could soon face a dilemma about prioritization itself, given that the SM-3 and THAAD are crucial to the U.S. ability to defend bases in the Pacific from China and bases in Europe from Russia. Israeli reports have stated that the deployment responded in part to the fact that the local inventory of SM-3 interceptors in the U.S. Sixth Fleet was nearly depleted after Aegis-equipped destroyers helped Israel defend itself from the October 1 Iranian missile strike.
While the exact number is classified, the overall number of SM-3 interceptors produced is a bit more than 500, with only twelve produced per year. With known testing over the years and recent combat usage, that probably leaves around 400, some of which are deployed onshore in Poland and Romania. This should not be confused with other Standard missile variants, such as the SM-2 and SM-6, which have been produced in larger quantities but are not suited for exoatmospheric missile intercepts.
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Previously:
The US is unprepared for the scale of war it is provoking around the globe
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 