U.S. Army Spent Over $2 Billion Defending Israel with THAAD Systems: More Than 25 Percent of the Global Arsenal Used Up in 11 Days

The U.S. Army expended over 150 anti-ballistic missile interceptors Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) long range air defence system to intercept Iranian ballistic missile attacks during 11 days of Iranian-Israeli hostilities from June 13-24, far exceeding prior estimates for the quantities of interceptors used. This represented over 25 percent of the Army’s total arsenal deployed around the world, raising serious concerns regarding the ability of American air defences to withstand sustained bombardments in theatres across much of the world. With each THAAD interceptor launch costing $15.5 million, the defence of Israeli airspace using these systems is estimated to have cost over $2.35 billion. Alongside THAAD, the rate of depletion of SM-3 and SM-6 anti-ballistic missiles by the U.S. Navy to further support Israeli air defence efforts were also tremendous, causing similar concerns for the service’s own anti-missile arsenal.

Reporting on the expenditure of THAAD interceptors, the Wall Street Journal reported: “Operating alongside Israeli systems, THAAD operators burned through munitions at a furious clip, firing more than 150 missiles to shoot down the waves of Iranian ballistic missiles, according to U.S. officials… That is nearly a quarter of the interceptors ever purchased by the Pentagon.” “The demand [for interceptors] was so staggering that at one point, the Pentagon considered a plan to divert interceptors purchased by Saudi Arabia to the systems in Israel,” the Journal further reported, citing an official. “The discussions were sensitive, because the kingdom’s cities and oil installations were also considered at risk during the conflict,” it added. Concerns regarding the Navy’s contribution to missile defence efforts were exacerbated by the reported underperformance of the SM-3 against Iranian targets. SM-3 missiles built to the Block IB standard cost approximately $12.5 million each, while those built to the newer Block IIA standard currently cost around $37 million, although the latter are expected to fall in price as production expands.

Iran’s missile strikes in response to Israeli attacks on its territory on June 13 were unprecedented, and have highlighted the limitations which even some of the densest multi-national missile defence networks can have in repelling advanced attacks. Iranian strikes using multi-warhead missiles significantly complicated air defence efforts, while the use of new Fattah missiles with hypersonic glide vehicles on a small scale further caused major difficulties. Alongside an estimated more than $6 billion in expenditures on air defences, Iranian strikes caused significant damage to strategic and military targets across Israel, with over 40 infrastructure facilities, as well as five major military bases across the country having been hit. Commenting on the extent of the strikes at the subsequent NATO summit, President Donald Trump observed: “Especially those last couple of days, Israel was hit really hard. Those ballistic missiles, boy they took out a lot of buildings.” The damage caused by these strikes, and the unsustainability of missile defence efforts, are considered by analysts to be the primary factors that led Israel and the United States to accept a ceasefire on June 24.