First Components of U.S. THAAD Missile Defense System Arrive in Israel, Secret Site 512 Expected to Play Key Role
The United States began deploying components of its Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system to Israel, with the first military personnel and equipment arriving on Oct. 14, 2024. Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that additional THAAD battery components and U.S. personnel will arrive in the coming days. However, for operational security reasons, the exact timeline for when the system will be fully operational has not been disclosed.
Israeli journalist Avi Scharf, known for tracking military flights, reported that two U.S. C-17 transport planes flew from Alabama to Israel’s Nevatim Air Force base overnight. The aircraft were likely transporting THAAD components.
The THAAD system is designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. Instead of using explosive warheads, THAAD relies on kinetic energy to neutralize incoming missiles by colliding with them at high speeds. The system’s radar and interceptors allow it to detect and destroy threats both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Each THAAD battery typically includes six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, a radar system, and a command-and-control unit. A crew of approximately 95 U.S. soldiers operates the system.
This deployment follows Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, during which Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles, including the Fattah-1 hypersonic missile. Unveiled by Iran in 2023, the Fattah-1 can reportedly travel at hypersonic speeds and change trajectory mid-flight. While the U.S. has not yet encountered the Fattah-1 in combat, the THAAD deployment offers a chance to assess whether the system can counter this new Iranian missile.
THAAD is believed to be well-suited to defend against high-altitude ballistic missiles like those fired by Iran. These missiles ascend into the Earth’s atmosphere before re-entering and descending toward their targets at immense speeds, which makes traditional air defense systems less effective. However, THAAD’s long-range radar and high-speed interceptors are designed to engage such threats in their terminal phase, when they re-enter the atmosphere and are most vulnerable to interception.
In contrast to Israel’s existing defense systems, such as Iron Dome and David’s Sling, which target short- and medium-range threats, THAAD is optimized for long-range, high-altitude missile threats. It complements Israel’s Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, which target long-range threats at different flight phases.
The U.S. Department of Defense emphasized that the deployment of THAAD underscores its “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s defense, particularly in response to the October 1 missile attack. This is not the first time the U.S. has deployed THAAD to Israel; a battery was temporarily stationed there in 2019 for training exercises. However, the current deployment marks a more sustained presence, as U.S. personnel will remain in Israel to operate the system due to its complexity. Israeli forces have not yet been trained to use THAAD.
According to a popular open-source intelligence monitor on X, an Israeli source indicated that the THAAD battery currently being deployed will not be accompanied by its own AN/TPY-2 radar. Instead, Site 512’s existing AN/TPY-2 radar and command-and-control systems will be utilized for the THAAD battery’s operations.
Many are unaware of the U.S. military’s long-standing presence at Site 512, a top-secret radar facility located atop Mount Har Qeren in southern Israel. Operated by the 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army, the site houses around 300 U.S. servicemembers and is equipped with advanced early-warning systems, including an AN/TPY-2 radar focused on missile threats from Iran.
A report by Intelligence Online from October 2023 also suggested that Site 512 may have hosted THAAD components prior to this deployment, specifically in response to Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel. While unconfirmed, this raises the possibility that personnel stationed at the base may already have experience implementing the system. If accurate, this would indicate that THAAD’s presence in Israel might not have been limited to the 2019 training exercise.
While the Pentagon has framed the deployment as an immediate defensive measure, some experts believe it also signals the potential for broader U.S. military involvement if tensions with Iran escalate further, especially as many anticipate a possible Israeli retaliation against Tehran.
