A crucial $300 million radar system, vital for directing US missile defense batteries in the Gulf, has been destroyed in Jordan, risking a significant strain on the region’s ability to counter future attacks. This incident, confirmed by a US official, reportedly occurred in the opening days of the war.
The AN/TPY-2 radar and its supporting equipment, which are integral to US THAAD missile defense systems, were destroyed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. CNN had earlier reported on the destruction, citing commercial satellite imagery, a report later corroborated by a US official. The United States maintains eight THAAD systems globally, including deployments in South Korea and Guam, with each battery costing approximately $1 billion, of which the radar accounts for about $300 million.
Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described the loss as a major setback. “These are scarce strategic resources and its loss is a huge blow,” Karako stated. He further noted that the army’s current “eight-battery force is still below the force structure requirements of nine set back in 2012, so there aren’t exactly any spare TPY-2 lying around.”
Data from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank indicates two reported Iranian strikes in Jordan: one on February 28 and another on March 3. Both attacks were reportedly intercepted.
The air and missile defense systems in the Gulf region have been under considerable stress, and at times overwhelmed, by Iranian retaliatory attacks involving drones and ballistic missiles. This situation has fueled concerns that stockpiles of advanced interceptors like THAAD and PAC-3 could soon become dangerously low.
