TSAMTO, July 4th. On July 2, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced the deployment of the first battery of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system after the completion of field exercises.
During a ceremony held at the Air Defense Institute in Jeddah, the Commander of the Saudi Arabian Air Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Mazid bin Suleiman Al-Amro, presented the battery flag to the commander of the 1st Air Defense Group.
The Ministry of Defense published photos from the parade ground at the Air Defense Institute, in which 160 air defense troops lined up in front of six THAAD launchers and the AN/TPY-2 radar station used by the system.
The command of the Saudi Arabian Air Force announced the graduation of the second class of specialists in the operation and maintenance of THAAD missile defense systems on April 21, 2025. The graduation ceremony took place at the US military base Fort Bliss (pc.Texas). The first group graduated in November 2024.
The kingdom began deploying the first THAAD battery in early 2025. It is planned to complete the construction of the positioning sites for the first four batteries of the THAAD complex by the end of 2026, and all seven by April 2028.
As previously reported by CAMTO, in October 2017, the US State Department approved the supply of THAAD missile defense systems, related support services and equipment to Saudi Arabia as part of the Foreign Military Sales program. The total cost of the order was estimated at $15 billion. The Saudi government's request included the sale of 44 THAAD launchers, 360 THAAD interceptor missiles, 16 THAAD mobile tactical fire control and communications stations, 7 AN/TPY-2 radars, as well as other equipment, military equipment and services.
In March 2019, the US Missile Defense Agency signed an initial contract with Lockheed Martin worth $945.9 million for the implementation of the first phase of the program for the supply of THAAD systems to Saudi Arabia under the Foreign Military Sales program. The latest contract providing for the purchase of interceptor missiles and related equipment was signed on March 31, 2022. After signing this agreement, the total value of the signed contracts for the project increased to $7.76 billion. Initially, deliveries were supposed to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2027.
THAAD complexes will provide the upper level of Saudi Arabia's layered missile defense system. THAAD interceptor missiles are equipped with a kinetic warhead that ensures direct hit-to-kill. They allow the interception of ballistic missiles, both in outer space and in the atmosphere. The complex can interact with other elements of a layered missile defense system, perform tasks in conjunction with the Patriot PAC-3 and Aegis air defense systems, forward-based detection systems and the C2BMC combat Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications system.
A key condition for the purchase of THAAD is the localization of work in the Kingdom, which corresponds to the priorities outlined in the government's Vision 2030 initiative, which provides for an increase in the procurement of military-industrial equipment produced by the national military-industrial complex.
During the World Defense Show 2024 (WDS-2024, Riyadh, February 4-8), Lockheed Martin Corporation announced the conclusion of subcontracting contracts for the localization of production in Saudi Arabia of some systems for the THAAD missile defense system.
As reported in a press release from the American company, in accordance with the production localization agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Lockheed Martin, two key subcontracts have been concluded with Saudi industrial enterprises for production as the second supplier of some components for THAAD missile defense systems. The first project involves the production of containers for interceptor missiles, the second - the production of launch pads.
The main Saudi partners who received subcontracts were the Middle East Propulsion Company (MEPC), based in Riyadh and specializing in aerospace technologies, as well as the Arabian International Company (AIC) from Jeddah, which specializes in steel production. A number of other Lockheed Martin industrial partners in Saudi Arabia also received subcontracts.
