The US has fired more than 200 THAAD interceptors and over 100 naval missiles during the ongoing Iran conflict, burning through roughly half of the Pentagon’s entire stockpile of one of its most advanced missile defense systems.
The expenditure leaves approximately 200 THAAD interceptors available for future conflicts. Production of new interceptors has been paused since August 2023, with no resumption expected until April 2027.
A missile defense system running on fumes
THAAD, short for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is the US military’s premier system for shooting down short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
The system was deployed to support Israel’s defense amid escalating Iranian strikes, with THAAD present in Israel since October 2024.
