This Is the System That Intercepted Iran's Missiles Over the UAE

After Israel and the US launched associated attacks connected Iran connected Saturday, Tehran responded with rocket attacks crossed the Gulf, targeting US subject bases successful those countries. Within hours, the UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed that its aerial defence systems had successfully intercepted respective incoming ballistic missiles.

According to the ministry, the missiles were destroyed earlier impact. However, debris from 1 interception fell successful Abu Dhabi, sidesplitting 1 civilian. Abu Dhabi sits adjacent respective strategical subject installations, including Al Dhafra Air Base, which hosts Emirati and US forces.

For galore residents, the lawsuit unfolded arsenic a bid of distant flashes and muffled explosions successful the sky. Behind those little moments, however, is simply a analyzable web of radars, interceptors and bid systems designed to detect, way and destruct ballistic missiles traveling astatine hypersonic speeds.

Understanding what happened successful those seconds means knowing however the UAE’s layered rocket defence web works.

The System Designed to Stop Ballistic Missiles

The UAE’s rocket shield includes aggregate layers of defense, specified arsenic the high-altitude Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and the lower-altitude MIM-104 Patriot.

Developed by Lockheed Martin, THAAD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles during the last signifier of their flight, erstwhile they descend towards their target.

Unlike accepted aerial defence missiles that detonate adjacent a threat, THAAD interceptors destruct incoming missiles done nonstop kinetic impact, fundamentally colliding with them astatine highly precocious speeds successful what is known arsenic “hit-to-kill” interception.

The UAE became the archetypal state extracurricular the US to deploy THAAD successful January 2022, having received the strategy successful 2015 arsenic portion of a multibillion-dollar defence agreement.

A Layered Defense Network

THAAD is lone 1 constituent of the UAE’s broader air- and missile-defense architecture. The state besides operates the MIM-104 Patriot system, which is designed to intercept craft and ballistic missiles astatine little altitudes.

Together, these systems signifier what defence planners picture arsenic a layered missile-defense architecture, giving operators much than 1 accidental to intercept an incoming menace earlier it reaches the ground.

In a emblematic interception sequence, respective steps hap wrong seconds:

• Detection: Early-warning sensors and radar systems observe a rocket motorboat and statesman tracking its velocity and projected formation path.
• Tracking and command: That information is relayed to command-and-control networks, which analyse whether the rocket threatens populated areas oregon captious infrastructure and find wherever an interception should occur.
• Interception: High-altitude interceptors specified arsenic THAAD effort to destruct the rocket successful the precocious atmosphere. If necessary, lower-altitude systems similar Patriot supply different interception opportunity.