Missile defense begins with sensors that can detect a launch within seconds. One of the key radars used with THAAD is the AN/TPY-2, a high-frequency X-band radar designed to track small, fast-moving objects at long distances.
The radar can detect and track ballistic missiles hundreds of kilometers away, following objects traveling at hypersonic speeds and transmitting that data to command centers in real time.
Once a missile launch is detected, defense systems calculate its trajectory and determine where the missile will be at a given moment in flight. Interceptors are then launched to meet it at that exact point in space.
Why Intercepting Ballistic Missiles Is So Hard
Ballistic missiles travel extremely fast. Some reach speeds of more than 20,000 kilometres per hour, fast enough to cross the entire UAE in just a few minutes. Because of those speeds, defense systems often have only minutes to detect, track. and intercept a missile before it descends toward its target.
To respond within that narrow window, missile defense systems rely on multiple technologies working together: early-warning sensors to detect launches, radar networks to track the threat, and interceptor missiles designed to destroy it mid-flight.
The expansion of missile defense systems across the Gulf has been driven largely by the rapid development of ballistic missile arsenals in the region. Iran is widely considered to possess one of the largest ballistic missile inventories in the Middle East.
As a result, Gulf countries have spent more than a decade investing in radar systems, interceptors, and command networks designed to protect critical infrastructure, major cities, and military facilities. The UAE hosts several major military installations, including Al Dhafra Air Base, which houses both Emirati and US forces.
Even when a missile is successfully destroyed, the danger does not disappear entirely.
Intercepted missiles can break apart at high altitude, sending fragments falling back toward the ground. In some cases, debris can still cause damage if it lands in populated areas. Saturday’s incident illustrates that risk: Although incoming missiles were intercepted before impact, falling debris from one interception killed a civilian in Abu Dhabi.
This story originally appeared on WIRED Middle East.
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