TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Iran destroyed a key U.S. missile-defense radar system at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan during the early days of the war, according to a report by Bloomberg citing a U.S. official.
The radar, an AN/TPY-2 system used by the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) network, plays a critical role in detecting and tracking ballistic missiles.
Analysts say the loss could create a significant gap in high-altitude missile surveillance across the Gulf region.
“If successful, an Iranian strike on a THAAD radar would mark one of Iran’s most successful attacks so far,” said Ryan Brobst, deputy director of the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Brobst added that the United States and its allies still operate other radar systems in the region, which could help maintain missile-defense coverage despite the loss.
Satellite images reviewed by CNN showed the AN/TPY-2 radar and its supporting equipment, manufactured by RTX Corp, destroyed at the base. A U.S. official later confirmed the damage to the system, which is estimated to be worth about US$300 million.
Data from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies recorded two Iranian attacks in Jordan, on February 28 and March 3. Both were initially reported to have been intercepted, but the radar’s destruction suggests at least one strike successfully hit its target.
Strategic Impact
THAAD systems intercept ballistic missiles at high altitude, complementing the Patriot missile defense system, which handles lower-altitude threats.
With the AN/TPY-2 radar disabled, missile interceptions in the area may rely more heavily on Patriot systems, where PAC-3 interceptor missiles are already in limited supply.
Earlier in the conflict, Iran also damaged an AN/FPS-132 early-warning radar at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The system, valued at around US$1.1 billion, is designed to detect long-range missile threats but is less precise for guiding missile interceptions.
Analysts say the damage to the radar in Jordan, combined with earlier attacks in Qatar and reported strikes on satellite communication terminals in Bahrain, suggests Iran is systematically targeting the sensors that support the Gulf’s integrated missile-defense network.
Rising Pressure on Air Defense Systems
Iran’s drone and missile strikes have increasingly strained air-defense systems across the region, raising concerns that stocks of advanced interceptors such as THAAD and Patriot PAC-3 missiles could be rapidly depleted.
On Friday, major U.S. defense contractors including Lockheed Martin and RTX met with officials at the White House as the Pentagon pushed to accelerate weapons production.
After the meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump said the country’s largest defense manufacturers had agreed to expand production of what he called “exquisite class” weapons.
“They have agreed to quadruple production of the ‘Exquisite Class’ weaponry in that we want to reach, as rapidly as possible, the highest levels of quantity,” Trump said, as quoted by Anadolu.
Trump claimed that efforts to expand production had begun three months before the meeting, and manufacturing facilities and production lines for many of these weapons were already underway.
On Friday, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that Seoul and Washington were discussing the possibility of relocating some US Patriot missile defense systems deployed in South Korea, amid reports that the systems could be moved to support operations in the Middle East amidst increasing tensions with Iran.
US Losses in the War Against Iran
The US has lost nearly US$2 billion worth of military equipment in its attacks against Iran since last Saturday, according to estimates and data collected by Anadolu.
The primary cause of the cost is the US-made AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, worth US$1.1 billion, which was hit by an Iranian missile attack last Saturday.
Qatar confirmed that the radar was hit and damaged. On Sunday, three F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft were lost in an incident of friendly fire by Kuwaiti air defenses. Although all six crew members survived, the aircraft were destroyed; the replacement cost is estimated to reach US$282 million.
During its opening attacks on Saturday, Iran targeted the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, destroying two satellite communication terminals and some large buildings.
Using open-source intelligence reports, the targeted SATCOM terminal was identified as the AN/GSC-52B, estimated to be worth US$20 million, including deployment and installation costs.
Iran also claimed to have destroyed components of the AN/TPY-2 radar from the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system deployed in Al-Ruwais Industrial City in the United Arab Emirates.
Satellite imagery through open-source intelligence reports showed that an attack had occurred. The destroyed radar components are estimated to be worth US$500 million.
Read: Iran Vows Not to Strike Neighbors Unless Attacked First
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google New
