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Washington: Amidst the increasing tension in the Middle East, the conflict between America and Iran seems to be reaching a new turn. When US President Donald Trump started attacking Iran, it was believed that it would be easy to weaken Tehran’s power. After the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several top military commanders in the initial attacks, it seemed that the situation could change soon. But within a week the situation seemed to have reversed and Iran began targeting US military bases across the region.

According to media reports, Iran attacked several American military bases in the Middle East with missiles and drones. America’s state-of-the-art air defense system has also been damaged at some places in these attacks. According to international media reports, the radar system of an American THAAD missile battery present in Jordan was seriously damaged. This attack is said to have taken place in the initial days of the campaign against Iran.

The report also said that buildings with similar radar systems were targeted at some military bases in the United Arab Emirates. However, complete information about the damage caused there has not been revealed yet.

Why is radar system so important?

Radar is the most important part of any missile defense system. Radar detects enemy ballistic missiles and helps in destroying them in the air by tracing their path. America has a total of eight THAAD batteries. Of these, two are deployed in UAE and one in Saudi Arabia. The battery that was targeted was deployed at Salti Air Base, opposite Jordan. This base is located more than 800 kilometers away from the border of Iran.

huge economic loss

The AN/TPY-2 transportable radar used in the THAAD system is considered a very expensive equipment. According to the budget of America’s Missile Defense Agency, its cost is about 500 million dollars i.e. more than Rs 4500 crore. This air base has been considered an important center of America’s military activities. Before the start of the campaign against Iran, more than 50 fighter jets, drones and transport aircraft are said to be present here. Many aircraft are not clearly visible in satellite images because they are in special shelters.

Damage visible in satellite photos

In satellite images, two large craters have been seen on the ground around the radar system, which indicates that there was a missile or drone attack here. The radar system is installed in five trailers about 40 feet long and in the pictures many of these parts are seen badly damaged. According to the report, this attack probably happened around March 1 or 2. Apart from this, some military buildings located in Ruwais and Sadar areas of UAE were also targeted between 28 February and 1 March.

Defense experts believe that damage to radar is a serious blow to any missile defense system. Although this does not shut down the entire THAAD system, its capability definitely reduces. According to experts, the AN-TPY-2 radar is called the “heart” of the THAAD battery, because it helps the interceptor missiles reach the target. If such an expensive equipment gets damaged, it is not easy to replace it immediately. For this, a new unit has to be brought from another place and deployed, which takes both time and resources.