Bloomberg: Iran targets $300 million radar and new Iranian missile reduces warning time to one minute

An Iranian missile attack on the Muwaffaq al Salti air base in Jordan destroyed a major radar system worth about $300 million, Bloomberg quoted a US official as saying.

According to the official, the destroyed radar is an essential part of the US missile defense system, as it’s used to guide air defense batteries deployed in the Gulf region.

According to satellite images that showed the destruction of an AN/TPY-2 radar along with its support equipment at the base, a system produced by RTX Corp used in the THAAD missile defense system.

This radar is a key element of the US missile defense system, as its used to detect and track ballistic missiles at long distances.

Commenting on the incident, researcher Ryan Probst of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said that the success of the Iranian strike in hitting the THAAD radar, if confirmed, could be considered one of the most prominent military operations carried out by Iran to date.

However, he noted that the United States and its allies have other radar systems that can continue to provide air and missile defense coverage, reducing the full impact of losing a single radar.

Bloomberg reports show that the THAAD system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at the edge of the atmosphere, allowing it to deal with more sophisticated threats compared to Patriot systems used to intercept short-range missiles.

With the AN/TPY-2 radar out of service, Patriot systems may take on a larger portion of the missile defense mission, although these systems already suffer from a shortage of PAC-3 interceptors.

The United States currently has eight THAAD batteries distributed in several regions around the world, including South Korea and the island of Guam.

A single battery costs about $1 billion, and radar accounts for a large portion of that cost.

Military experts say these systems represent limited strategic resources, and the loss of any of them could pose a challenge to US defense capabilities, especially in light of the lack of readily available backup radars.

The THAAD system typically includes six truck-mounted launch pads, each carrying eight interceptor missiles, as well as radar, tactical controller and communications systems, and one battery requires about 90 soldiers to operate.

The interceptor missile used in this system, which is produced by Lockheed Martin, has an estimated value of about $13 million per missile.

In related context, the Israeli media reported an unusual delay in the detection of missiles fired from Iran towards Israel, which led to a shortening of the warning time before they reached their targets.

Israel’s Channel 14 reported that preliminary investigations indicate that the delay was due to damage to US radars, which affected the ability of early warning systems to detect missiles in time.

According to reports, the sirens reached the population only about a minute before the rockets arrived, while Israel’s home front system usually monitors launches from Iran about 8 to 10 minutes before they arrive.

Iran used an experimental missile with advanced capabilities that allow it to evade early detection systems.

According to the information circulating, the defense systems were only able to detect the missile after it entered the atmosphere, at a point when it was very close to its target.