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U.S. Confirms THAAD Radar in Jordan Destroyed as Iran Targets Gulf Air-Defense Sensors

The confirmed loss of a scarce AN/TPY-2 sensor intensifies pressure on interceptor inventories across the Gulf.

Overview

  • A U.S. official confirmed the AN/TPY-2 and support equipment at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base were destroyed in the conflict’s opening days, with satellite images from March 1–2 showing debris and craters.
  • Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed additional radar kills in the UAE, Jordan and Qatar, while commercial imagery indicates damage at UAE facilities and at a radar site near Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base.
  • The loss removes the primary sensor for a THAAD battery, reducing high-altitude tracking and shifting more interception tasks to Patriot units that face limited PAC-3 stocks.
  • With only about eight THAAD batteries worldwide and radars valued near $300 million, experts describe the destroyed unit as a hard-to-replace asset.
  • Concern over strain prompted White House and Pentagon meetings with Lockheed Martin and RTX to accelerate production, alongside moves to bolster layered coverage using other radars and systems.