The United States expended roughly 25% of its high-end THAAD missile interceptors during June’s 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, raising concerns about its ability to sustain future missile defense operations, CNN reported Monday.
US forces deployed two of the military’s seven Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems in support of Israel, firing more than 100 -- and potentially as many as 150 -- interceptors to defend against a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles.
The deployment marked the most significant operational use of the system to date, according to the report, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
While the interceptors successfully countered many of Iran’s long-range missiles, experts warn that the rate of usage far outpaces current production capabilities.
The US Department of Defense produced only 11 new THAAD interceptors in 2024 and expects to procure 12 more this fiscal year. The Pentagon plans to acquire 37 in 2026, according to budget documents cited by CNN.
“The reports about THAAD expenditure are concerning,” a US missile defense expert told CNN. “This is not the sort of thing the US can afford to do repeatedly. THAAD is a very scarce resource.”
A senior retired US Army officer told CNN the Department of Defense is now reassessing “wartime stockage levels of critical munitions” and working to increase annual production capacity.
A Pentagon official said the 2026 budget prioritizes “funding in the defense industrial base,” including $1.3 billion for supply chain improvements and $2.5 billion for missile and munitions production.
The Pentagon declined to specify the number of interceptors used, but Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said, “The US military is the strongest it has ever been… look no further than Operation Midnight Hammer and the total obliteration of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”
However, experts cited by CNN warned that stockpile shortfalls were already a concern before the Israel-Iran war and could undermine deterrence, particularly in the event of simultaneous conflicts.
Lockheed Martin, THAAD’s manufacturer, currently operates nine active batteries worldwide, seven of them under US control. Two were moved to the Middle East in recent years, with others stationed in Texas, Guam, and South Korea. THAAD systems have also been delivered to the UAE, where they’ve been used against Houthi-launched missiles.
Iran launched over 500 ballistic missiles during the war, with 86% intercepted. However, 36 missiles struck populated areas, resulting in widespread damage across Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, according to DC-based think tank Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).
Analysis conducted by DC-based think tank Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) estimated that THAADs -- alongside Israel’s Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 interceptors -- downed 201 of Iran’s 574 missiles, with 57 hitting populated areas across Israeli cities. The report estimated that the US’ THAAD system accounted for almost half of all interceptions.
JINSA analysis said Iran increasingly deployed more advanced missiles with multiple warheads and decoys in later stages of the war, challenging interception systems. “Only 8% of Iranian missiles penetrated defenses in the first week of the war. That doubled to 16% in the second half of the conflict and eventually culminated at 25% on the final day of the war before the ceasefire.”
