Earn with Nexo
US burns through half its THAAD interceptor stockpile defending Israel against Iran
Over 200 THAAD interceptors and 100 naval missiles fired during the Iran conflict, leaving the Pentagon with roughly 200 remaining as production sits frozen until 2027.
The US has fired more than 200 THAAD interceptors and over 100 naval missiles during the ongoing Iran conflict, burning through roughly half of the Pentagon’s entire stockpile of one of its most advanced missile defense systems.
The expenditure leaves approximately 200 THAAD interceptors available for future conflicts. Production of new interceptors has been paused since August 2023, with no resumption expected until April 2027.
A missile defense system running on fumes
THAAD, short for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is the US military’s premier system for shooting down short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
The system was deployed to support Israel’s defense amid escalating Iranian strikes, with THAAD present in Israel since October 2024.
The current Iran conflict, which began in February 2026, came on the heels of the June 2025 “Twelve-Day War,” which itself consumed over 150 THAAD interceptors. Combined, these two conflicts have chewed through the vast majority of US THAAD inventory in a little over a year.
The US was historically producing THAAD interceptors at a rate of just 96 per year. At that pace, replacing the 200-plus interceptors used in the current conflict alone would take more than two years of full-capacity manufacturing.
The US expenditure during this conflict has significantly eclipsed the use of Israel’s own defense systems, effectively making American missile defense the primary shield against Iranian ballistic strikes.
Lockheed Martin’s production problem
Lockheed Martin, the primary contractor for THAAD, has plans to dramatically scale up production. The target is 400 interceptors annually, a more than fourfold increase from the historical rate of 96 per year.
Production has been stalled since August 2023, and the target date for resuming operations is April 2027. That’s nearly four years of zero new interceptors rolling off the line during a period when the US has been consuming them at an unprecedented rate.
The production gap highlights a structural vulnerability in US defense preparedness that analysts from major defense think tanks, including CSIS, have been flagging. The strain on US munitions stocks isn’t limited to THAAD.