More THAAD for US

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has almost tripled its production orders for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors from the system’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. Valued at $553.1 million, the contract modification has increased the total value of the contract from $273.4 million to $826.6 million, and calls for the production and delivery of Lot 9 and Lot 10 interceptors, one-shot devices, and provide associated production support efforts under fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract line item numbers. Work will take place at several locations throughout the USA, with the performance period running from March 31, 2017 through December 24, 2020.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is a long-range, land-based theater defense weapon that acts as the upper tier of a basic 2-tiered defense against ballistic missiles. It’s designed to intercept missiles during late mid-course or final stage flight, flying at high altitudes within and even outside the atmosphere. This allows it to provide broad area coverage against threats to critical assets such as population centers and industrial resources as well as military forces, hence its previous “theater (of operations) high altitude area defense” designation.