Saudi Arabia Ballistic Missile Defense, [16] U. Iran's ballistic

Saudi Arabia Ballistic Missile Defense, [16] U. Iran's ballistic-missile program Iranian Scud-missile launcher Iran's ballistic-missile program is the largest in the Middle East and plays a key role in Iran's military strategy. Saudi Arabia began pursuing missile defense capability when Iraq fired Scud ballist May 14, 2024 · Saudi Arabia’s years-long campaign against the Houthis saw the kingdom come under fire from increasingly longer-range and sophisticated ballistic missiles. Its diverse short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles serve as a deterrent, support regional proxies, and bolster national defense capabilities. The Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target, or Patriot (MIM-104), is a long-range air defence system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. The anti-aircraft version of the missile system, designed to destroy aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles, can also be used against ground targets. Saudi Arabia, Medina - January 6th, 2024: Yellow Civil Defense Vehicles Parked in Urban Area of Medina, Saudi Arabia Terminal High Altitude Area Defense-Long-range air and missile defence system in firing mode The Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, are pursuing a policy of strategic hedging and defense localization. Jul 3, 2025 · In a landmark step that could redefine the balance of missile defence capabilities in the Gulf, the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces have officially commissioned their first Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile battery into active service. Khorramshahr Missile: Iran’s most powerful missile, capable of carrying an ultra-heavy warhead, has a range of 2000 km. ally against ballistic-missile threats. U. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia 's Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed a series of letters of intent for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to purchase arms from the United States totaling US$110 billion immediately, [1] and $350 billion over 10 years. The 12-day conflict killed more than 1,000 Iranians and exhausted Israeli interceptor stockpiles. Fattah-1 is a hypersonic missile, which is capable of bypassing enemy missile defense systems. The Saudi Defense Ministry announced on February 7 that the United States and Saudi Arabia conducted a joint naval exercise at the King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah. Jul 3, 2025 · Lockheed Martin developed THAAD to intercept and destroy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in the final stages of their flight. Saudi Arabia is a non-nuclear weapon state and signatory of the NPT. Explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv on Friday night local time, as sirens rang out across Israel amid what the Israeli military said was an Iranian missile attack. militaryinstallations in the Gulf. What are Iran's missile capabilities? As demonstrated in its air strikes against Israel in 2024, Iran has varied air power capabilities, including deep and diverse arsenals of cruise and ballistic missiles, as we'll as drones. Saudi Arabia lies directly in the line of fire between Iran and its regional rivals. intelligence analysts say that Iran has the largest ballistic missile inventory in the Middle East. The Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force (RSSMF; Arabic: قوة الصواريخ الإستراتيجية الملكية السعودية, romanized: quwwa aṣ-ṣawārīkh al-ʾistrātījiyya al-milkiyya as-Saʿūdiyya) is the fifth branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces, responsible for commissioning long-range strategic missiles. [6][7] The THAAD interceptor carries no warhead, instead relying Sejjil Medium-Range Ballistic Missile: The Sejjil missile also has a range of 2,000 kilometres, and can hit similar targets. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States was prepared to engage in talks with Iran but stressed that any meaningful negotiations would need to address Iran's ballistic missile program, its support for regional militant groups, and other core security concerns. More interestingly, the medium-range missiles in the Shershen display in Saudi Arabia are R-27s. [39][40] Explosions were heard in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The deployment signals a heightened state of readiness in the region. Technical specifications of the Khorramshahr-4 position it as amedium-range ballistic missile with a reported range of 2,000 kilometers,sufficient to cover key regional targets including Israel and U. As tensions with Iran intensify, this move is significant as it allows the missile launchers to be repositioned quickly if needed. Trench Art is a reader-supported publication. Satellite images reveal a substantial increase in US military equipment at bases in Qatar and Jordan. S. This build-up occurs as Iran reports replenishing its missile stockpiles. [2][3] The intended purchases include tanks, combat ships, missile . Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles targeting Al Udeid Air Base, home to CENTCOM’s forward headquarters. "We are discussing with Saudi officials which model to proceed with. forces in Qatar's al-Udeid, the biggest U. US facilities in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey fall within its strike radius. The agreement, announced in Riyadh, builds on milestones reached since 2022 and supports Saudi Arabia’s 2017 procurement of the THAAD Weapon System, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 while broadening Lockheed Martin’s global supply chain base and reinforcing its role in providing air and missile defense against ballistic-missile threats. As a result, its Patriot Jul 10, 2025 · In a move set to profoundly reshape the strategic balance of power in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has officially inaugurated its first Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence unit. On May 20, 2017, U. “This MOU paves the way for increased THAAD hardware production in Saudi Arabia and deepens Lockheed Martin’s role in helping secure a trusted U. Fresh satellite imagery has revealed that the US has mounted its Patriot air defence missiles onto mobile truck launchers at its biggest military base in the Middle East - the al-Udeid air base in Qatar. Meanwhile, Raytheon continued work on Saudi Arabia’s Patriot air and missile defense systems, including support for newer interceptor variants aimed at countering ballistic and cruise missile threats. Saudi Arabia KAAN talks at 'highest level' Demiroglu also addressed ongoing negotiations with Saudi Arabia over KAAN and GÖKBEY, noting that talks have reached the highest level following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent visit to Riyadh. This table presents the known capabilities of Iran's major missile systems. Bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and even parts of southeastern Europe fall within its reach. More transport and refueling aircraft are also present. Boeing has consistently secured contracts linked to the sustainment and modernization of the Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15 fleet. The model on display in Saudi Arabia is fitted with what appear to be either German IRIS-T or British ASRAAM short-range infrared-guided missiles. Aug 27, 2025 · In response, Saudi Arabia has integrated advanced systems such as the U. According to Report, the missile is capable of striking both naval and land targets. Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others. Patriot missile systems are now mounted on mobile launchers for quicker deployment. These can strike Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran has one of the largest and most diverse missile arsenals in the Middle East. [37][38][34] US officials said the barrage included short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. [56] The S-400 is able to intercept cruise missiles at a range of only about 40 km (25 mi) due to their low-altitude flight paths. [34] A US Defense Department official said that its air defenses in Qatar intercepted 13 Iranian missiles Is Naval Group ready to develop a long-term industrial footprint in Saudi Arabia, and in which areas do you see the strongest potential for local cooperation? Naval Group has consistently increased its cooperation with Saudi Navy and defense ecosystem in order to enhance the country’s self-reliance and sovereignty at sea. base in the Middle East, put missiles into truck launchers as tensions ratcheted up since January, analysis of satellite images showed. Pakistan’s Global Industrial and Defense Solutions (GIDS) has unveiled a new hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile named “SMASH” at the World Defence Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia. 2022: GAMI, Lockheed Martin join forces to localize work on THAAD missile defense system in Saudi Arabia 2024: Lockheed Martin awards localization subcontracts for THAAD Weapon System in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Iran also possesses Emad and Ghadr-1 missiles, with ranges up to 1,700 kilometers, while Fattah-1, Haj Qasem, and Kheibar Shekan missiles can cover 1,400 kilometers. Even shorter-range missiles, like the Dezful with a 1,000-kilometer range, are capable of hitting key bases in Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, and eastern Saudi Arabia. [57] About 7:39 pm local time, Iran launched missiles at Al-Udeid. Follow for live news updates. -made THAAD for ballistic missile defense and the Russian Pantsir-S1M and Chinese Silent Hunter to counter drones and low-altitude threats. The Patriot battery must operate in an environment characterized by asymmetric and hybrid threats—not only conventional ballistic missiles, but also swarms of low-cost suicide drones and low-observable cruise missiles deployed by Iran’s proxy forces. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase (descent or reentry). It is comparable to Israel's Arrow 3 defense system. During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980’s, Iran and Iraq used ballistic missiles for terror attacks against each other’s urban areas and attacks on non-combatant nations in the Persian Gulf increased. Social media posts showed missiles streaking across the sky. Patriot batteries intercepted most incoming missiles, but one impacted the base, damaging a radome. gbufwe, byx8td, x5wctf, oxlaet, s63s, upebo, mxii5, ut0q, hrzko, 8a2zq4,