US urged to adapt air and missile defense after Iranian attacks — Breaking Defense
The United States is discussing the need to adapt air and missile defense following Iranian attacks using missiles and drones. Air and missile defense systems generally successfully repelled waves of cruise missiles and swarms of drones, but stocks of interceptor missiles are rapidly dwindling. The loss of THAAD/TPY-2 radars also forced the United States to urgently strengthen the protection of its assets in the Middle East, Breaking Defense reports.
The cost of interception
Rob Mitrewski, president of Golden Dome strategy and integration at L3Harris, said Iran demonstrated the ability to simultaneously employ numerous threats across different domains — missiles of several classes and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to him, defense should use low-cost means against cheap threats, while more powerful interceptors should be used against more complex and expensive targets.
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that assessments of costs should also take into account the value of the assets being protected. At the same time, he acknowledged the issue of economic viability: Iranian Shahed drones, costing tens of thousands of dollars, can attack in swarms over distances of hundreds or thousands of kilometers. Using traditional interceptors against such drones can be effective, but it creates a cost imbalance.
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Production and new systems
Karako stressed that counter-drone systems that are cheaper than traditional interceptor missiles already exist and are deployed and operational. In his view, clearer and more stable demand signals for procurement are needed for their wider use.
As the outlet notes, modern defense must simultaneously counter low-flying maneuvering drone swarms, high-speed targets, including hypersonic ones, and ballistic missiles. Patriot has a long history of use, but the changing nature of threats requires the development of air defense capabilities with different ranges.
A separate problem is the production capacity of the US defense industry. Manufacturing solid-fuel rocket motors for interceptors is a complex process, while producing a THAAD/TPY-2 radar requires a long time and multibillion-dollar expenditures. Unstable demand for air and missile defense systems, according to Breaking Defense, has contributed to reduced production and depleted stockpiles. Industry and Pentagon representatives believe it is necessary to replenish stockpiles, increase production, and develop technologies suitable for large-scale manufacturing.
