Better than Patriot, a new US air defense system to protect Israel from missile threats.

Until now, this system has only shot down missiles once in real conditions. THAAD has a longer range than Patriot.

The United States has announced its intention to deploy a battery of the THAAD air defense system in Israel due to massive Iranian missile attacks on the country. THAAD is a “Terminal High Altitude Defense System” designed to intercept ballistic missiles in their terminal phase.

This system can hit targets at a distance of up to 200 km and at altitudes both in the atmosphere and beyond. Unlike other surface-to-air missile systems, THAAD destroys targets by direct impact rather than by exploding close to them. THAAD is part of the US Army's sophisticated missile defense system and covers more territory than Patriot but less than Aegis.

Development of THAAD began in 1992, and it was put into service in 2008. During the period 2006-2019, 18 interception tests were carried out, of which 14 were successful.