Terminal High Altitude Area Defense

THAAD is a project under devlopment by the US. It is a system used to intercept incoming warheads. A radar system first tracks the target, then the missile is fired to intercept the incoming missile. The THAAD missile doe not carry a warhead. It depends intirely on collision. The THAAD project has a value of $4.4 billion and an involvment of 6 companies with Lockheed Martin as the lead.

no explosive? so how exactly will the warhead use collision alone? does it have a penetrater rod or something?

MIGleader said:

no explosive? so how exactly will the warhead use collision alone? does it have a penetrater rod or something?

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The system uses hit-to-kill technology. That means the missile relies on collision. Hey, there is no tank armor on missiles so collision will be like crashing two cars together, totolly obliberating each other. systems like Patriot missiles use explosive warheads to destoy incoming missiles. My opinion, not having to implant warheads will make the system cheaper to operate. the THAAD has a range of about 200km. It is designed to intercept short and medium ranged ballistic missiles, like SCUDs.

The PAC 3 can use hit to kill as well with a warhead. It's used to intercept short range BMs. The THAAD is to stop ICBM's I believe. Mach 9 is its final speed.

The THAAD system was designed to handle short and medium range ballistic missiles; such as Scuds and derived weapons. However, a limited incidental capability against ICBMs exists.It was not originally made to handle ICBMs. The THAAD demonstration program (called DEM-VAL) ran from August 1992 til August 2000, conducting several flight tests at White Sands Missile Range. After early failed intercepts, the most recent flight tests resulted in successful intercepts on June 10, 1999 and August 2, 1999. The next program phase was to transform the successful design and lessons learned into a mobile tactical army fire unit. This program phase was originally called Engineering-Manufacturing-and-Development (EMD) and awarded August 2000. Flight tests of this system are scheduled to resume with missile characterization and full up system tests in 2005 & 2006 at WSMR, then move to the Pacific Missile Range Facility test area in 2006.

The problem with using explosive warheads is that the incoming ICBM has a higher velocity than the shrapnel from the explosion. Thus, in order to hit the ICBM, an interceptor must detonate a certain distance from the ICBM, which is much more dificult to do than to just directly hit the ICBM.

The problem with todays missile defense systems is that they all rely on prediction such as a missile is targeted at LA, a intercept missile is launched, the intercept missile goes to the predicted target and when close to the missile, it uses a guidence system to track it down, now suppose we put in the system that China might put on their ICBM, which alows them to change the target while in flight, then the interceptor goes to the predicted target but there is nothing to home in on.