Lockheed Martin to supply THAAD to UAE

Lockheed Martin has announced that it will supply the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) between the US and UAE governments. The contract is worth an estimated $1.96 billion.

Under the contract Lockheed Martin will provide two THAAD Weapon Systems and additional maintenance and support equipment.

This is the first FMS of the THAAD system, which is currently under contract with the US Army. Four THAAD batteries are being supplied to the US Army under contracts issued in 2006, 2010 and 2011.

According to the company,  THAAD is the only missile defence system with the operational flexibility to intercept in both the endo- and exo-atmospheres to provide versatile capability to the warfighter. As a key element of the nation’s Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), THAAD is a Missile Defense Agency programme. The agency is developing the BMDS to defend the United States, its deployed forces, friends and allies against ballistic missiles of all ranges and in all phases of flight.

Under the same FMS to the UAE, Raytheon has been awarded a $582.5 million contract to supply AN/TPY-2 radars, associated spares, training and other services through 2018 for the THAAD system.

The AN/TPY-2 is a mobile, solid-state, phased array X-band radar, that searches, detects, tracks and discriminates threats from non-threats, and then delivers data to the THAAD’s fire control and communications element for engagement. In addition to providing the radar, Raytheon collaborated in developing the Fire Control and Communications shelter, communications software, engineering, and testing support for the system.