Terminal High Altitude Area Defense - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is a United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

system to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate ballistic missile

Ballistic missile

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...

s in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. The missile carries no warhead but relies on the kinetic energy of the impact. THAAD was designed to hit Scud

Scud

Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...

s and similar weapons

Tactical ballistic missile

A tactical ballistic missile is a ballistic missile designed for short-range battlefield use. Typically, range is less than . Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mobile to ensure survivability and quick deployment, as well as carrying a variety of warheads to target enemy facilities, assembly...

, but also has a limited capability against ICBMs.

The THAAD system is being designed, built, and integrated by Lockheed Martin Space Systems

Lockheed Martin Space Systems

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is one of the four major business divisions of Lockheed Martin. It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with additional sites in Sunnyvale, California; Newtown, Pennsylvania; Huntsville, Alabama; and elsewhere in the US and UK...

acting as prime contractor. Key subcontractors include Raytheon

Raytheon

Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...

, Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

, Aerojet

Aerojet

Aerojet is an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, Gainesville and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet is owned by GenCorp. They are the only US propulsion company that provides both solid rocket...

, Rocketdyne

Rocketdyne

Rocketdyne was a Rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, United States. The company was related to North American Aviation for most of its history. NAA merged with Rockwell International, which was then bought by Boeing in December, 1996...

, Honeywell

Honeywell

Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....

, BAE Systems

BAE Systems

BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...

, and MiltonCAT. Development was budgeted at over USD

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

$700 million for 2004.

Although originally a U.S. Army program, THAAD has come under the umbrella of the Missile Defense Agency

Missile Defense Agency

The Missile Defense Agency is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. The agency has its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was established in 1983 and was headed by Lt...

. The Navy has a similar program, the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System

Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System

The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System is a United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide defense against ballistic missiles. It is part of the United States national missile defense strategy...

. THAAD was originally scheduled for deployment in 2012, but deployment has recently been accelerated to 2009.

Development

The THAAD missile defense

Missile defense

Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception and destruction of attacking missiles. Originally conceived as a defence against nuclear-armed Intercontinental ballistic missiles , its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged...

concept was proposed in 1987, with a formal request for proposals submitted to industry in 1990. In September 1992, the U.S. Army selected Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....

as prime contractor for THAAD development. Prior to development of a physical prototype, the Aero-Optical Effect (AOE) software code was developed to validate the intended operational profile of Lockheed's proposed design. The first THAAD flight test occurred in April 1995, with all flight tests in the Demonstration-Validation (DEM-VAL) program phase occurring at White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...

. The first six intercept attempts missed the target (Flights 4-9). The first successful intercepts were conducted on June 20, 1999, and August 2, 1999, against Hera missile

Hera missile

Hera is a target missile for development testing of missile defense systems such as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot PAC-3. In 1992, the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command awarded the Theater Missile Defense Targets contract to Coleman Aerospace with Space Vector...

Demonstration-Validation Phase

Date	Result	Notes
21 April 1995	Success	First test flight to prove the propulsion system. There was no target in the test.
31 July 1995	Aborted	Kill vehicle control test. The test flight was aborted. There was no target in the test.
13 October 1995	Success	Launched to test its target-seeking system. There was no attempt to hit the target in the test.
13 December 1995	Failure	Failed to hit a test target due to software errors in the missile's fuel system.
22 March 1996	Failure	Failed to hit a test target due to mechanical problems with the kill vehicle's booster separation.
15 July 1996	Failure	Failed to hit a test target due to a malfunction in the targeting system.
6 March 1997	Failure	Failed to hit a test target due to a contamination in the electrical system.
12 May 1998	Failure	Failed to hit a test target due to an electrical short circuit in the booster system. At this point, the U.S. Congress reduced funding for the project due to repeated failures.
29 March 1999	Failure	Failed to hit a test target due to multiple failures including guidance system.
10 June 1999	Success	Hit a test target in a simplified test scenario.
2 August 1999	Success	Hit a test target outside the atmosphere.

Engineering and manufacturing phase

In June 2000, Lockheed won the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract to turn the design into a mobile tactical army fire unit. Flight tests of this system resumed with missile characterization and full-up system tests in 2006 at White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range

, then moved to the Pacific Missile Range Facility

Pacific Missile Range Facility

The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands is a U.S. Naval facility and airport located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Kekaha, in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States....

Date	Result	Notes
22 November 2005	Success	Launched a missile in its first Flight EMD Test, known as FLT-01. The test was deemed a success by Lockheed and the Pentagon.
11 May 2006	Success(?)	FLT-02, the first developmental flight test to test the entire system including interceptor, launcher, radar, and fire control system.
12 July 2006	Success	FLT-03. Intercepted a live target missile.
13 September 2006	Aborted	Hera target missile launched but had to be terminated in mid-flight before the launch of the FLT-04 missile. This has officially been characterized as a "no test."
Fall 2006	Cancelled	FLT-05, a missile-only test, was postponed until mid-spring 2007.
27 January 2007	Success	FLT-06. Intercepted a "high endo-atmospheric" (just inside earth’s atmosphere) unitary (non-separating) target representing a "SCUD"-type ballistic missile launched from a mobile platform off Kauai in the Pacific Ocean.
6 April 2007	Success	FLT-07 test. Intercepted a “mid endo-atmospheric” unitary target missile off Kauai in the Pacific Ocean. It successfully tested THAAD's interoperability with other elements of the MDS system.
27 October 2007	Success	Conducted a successful exo-atmospheric test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) off Kauai Kauai Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",... , Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... . The flight test demonstrated the system's ability to detect, track and intercept an incoming unitary target above the Earth's atmosphere. The Missile was hot-condition tested to prove its ability to operate in extreme environments.
27 June 2008	Success	Downed a missile launched from a C-17 Globemaster III C-17 Globemaster III The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
17 September 2008	Aborted	Target missile failed shortly after launch so neither interceptor was launched. Officially a "no test".
17 March 2009	Success	A repeat of the September flight test. This time it was a success
11 December 2009	Aborted	FTT-11: The Hera target missile failed to ignite after air deployment and the interceptor was not launched. Officially a "no test".
29 June 2010	Success	FTT-14: Conducted a successful endo-atmospheric intercept of unitary target at lowest altitude to date. Afterward, exercised Simulation-Over-Live-Driver (SOLD) system to inject multiple simulated targets into the THAAD radar to test system's ability to engage a mass raid of enemy ballistic missiles.
5 October 2011	Success	FTT-12: Conducted a successful endo-atmospheric intercept of two targets with two interceptors.

Production and deployment

Sometimes called Kinetic Kill technology, the THAAD missile destroys missiles by colliding with them, using hit-to-kill technology, like the MIM-104 Patriot

MIM-104 Patriot

The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...

PAC-3 (although the PAC-3 also contains a small explosive warhead). This is unlike the Patriot PAC-2 which carried only an explosive warhead detonated using a proximity fuse. Although the actual figures are classified, THAAD missiles have an estimated range of 125 miles

Miles

Miles is the plural of mile.Miles may also refer to:- People :*Miles Brothers, American cinema pioneers* Miles ** Miles Browning, World War II admiral** Miles Davis, jazz trumpet player** Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver...

(200 km), and can reach an altitude of 93 miles (150 km). The THAAD missile is manufactured at the Lockheed Martin Pike County

Pike County, Alabama

Pike County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General Zebulon Pike, of New Jersey, an explorer who led an expedition to southern Colorado and discovered Pikes Peak in 1806. As of 2010 the population was 32,899. Its county seat is Troy.- History :In 1819 the State...

Operations facility near Troy, Alabama

Troy, Alabama

Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....

. The facility performs final integration, assembly and testing of the THAAD missile.
The THAAD Radar is an X-Band Radar developed and built by Raytheon

Raytheon

at its Andover, Massachusetts

Andover, Massachusetts

Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...

Integrated Air Defense Facility. It is the world's largest ground/air-transportable X-Band radar. The THAAD Radar and a variant developed as a forward sensor for ICBM missile defense, the "Forward-Based X-Band - Transportable (FBX-T)" radar were assigned a common designator, AN/TPY-2, in late 2006/early 2007.

First Line Units Activated at Fort Bliss

On 28 May 2008, the U.S. Army activated Alpha Battery, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. The Unit is part of the 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command

32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command

The 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command is a one-of-a-kind theater level Army air and missile defense multi-component organization with a worldwide, 72-hour deployment mission...

. It will have 24 THAAD interceptors, three THAAD launchers based on the M1120 HEMTT Load Handling System

M1120 HEMTT Load Handling System

The M1120 HEMTT LHS is nothing more than a HEMTT M977 with a load handling system in place of a flat bed. It was incorporated into the Army in 2002. The HEMTT entered Army services in 1982. The vehicles are made by the Oshkosh Corporation. They also remanufacture vehicles and add new updated...

, a THAAD Fire Control and a THAAD radar. Full fielding will begin in 2009.
On October 16, 2009, the U.S. Army and the Missile Defense Agency activated the second Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Battery, Alpha Battery, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Deployment to Hawaii

In June 2009, the United States deployed a THAAD unit to Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, along with a sea-based radar, to defend against a possible North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

n launch targeted at the archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

Possible international users

The United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

has requested the purchase a new U.S. missile defense system developed by Lockheed Martin. This deal could be worth $7 billion if approved.

External links

Lockheed Martin THAAD Website
http://www.airdefenseartillery.com/online/

DEM-VAL Test Program

EMD Test Program

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