US approves possible $15 billion sale of THAAD missiles to Saudi Arabia

The US State Department has approved on Friday a possible $15 billion sale of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems to Saudi Arabia, according to a statement released by the Pentagon.

The Middle East country has requested to purchase 44 THAAD launchers, 360 missiles, 16 fire control station and 7 radars, Xinhua quoted the said the statement as saying.
The sale was part of the $110 billion package of defence equipment and services initially announced during US President Donald Trump's May trip to Saudi Arabia, said an official from the US State Department on condition of anonymity.

"This potential sale will substantially increase Saudi Arabia's capability to defend itself against the growing ballistic missile threat in the region," said the statement from the Pentagon.

Congress has been notified about the possible sale and has 30 days to review the deal.

THAAD missile systems are deployed to defend against ballistic missile attacks.
READ MORE

US conducts successful missile intercept system amid N Korea test launch

The US military has conducted a successful test of a missile intercept system, officials said today, as tensions soar following North Korea's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially reach Alaska.

The test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system saw a ballistic missile target air-launched from an Air Force C-17 over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii.

"A THAAD weapon system located at (Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska) in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target," the US Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.

THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.

Though such exercises are planned months in advance, it comes after North Korea's first-ever test-firing last week of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching parts of the United States including Alaska.

THAAD is not designed to stop an ICBM -- that job is left primarily to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor system.

The US military this year began deploying THAAD to South Korea, a move that infuriated China, which has argued the deployment would further destabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula.

This was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD weapon system, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said.
READ MORE