After Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Saturday, Tehran responded with missile attacks across the Gulf, targeting US military bases in those countries. Within hours, the UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed that its air defense systems had successfully intercepted several incoming ballistic missiles.
According to the ministry, the missiles were destroyed before impact. However, debris from one interception fell in Abu Dhabi, killing one civilian. Abu Dhabi sits near several strategic military installations, including Al Dhafra Air Base, which hosts Emirati and US forces.
For many residents, the event unfolded as a series of distant flashes and muffled explosions in the sky. Behind those brief moments, however, is a complex network of radars, interceptors and command systems designed to detect, track and destroy ballistic missiles traveling at hypersonic speeds.
Understanding what happened in those seconds means understanding how the UAE’s layered missile defense network works.
The System Designed to Stop Ballistic Missiles
The UAE’s missile shield includes multiple layers of defense, such as the high-altitude Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and the lower-altitude MIM-104 Patriot.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile, a PAC-3 air-defense missile and a PrSM precision strike missile at the Lockheed Martin Corp. Photograph: Jose Sarmento Matos/Getty Images
Developed by Lockheed Martin, THAAD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles during the final phase of their flight, when they descend towards their target.
Unlike traditional air defense missiles that explode near a threat, THAAD interceptors destroy incoming missiles through direct kinetic impact, basically colliding with them at extremely high speeds in what is known as “hit-to-kill” interception.
The UAE became the first country outside the US to deploy THAAD in January 2022, having received the system in 2015 as part of a multibillion-dollar defense agreement.
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