Iran destroys $300m US missile defence radar in Jordan: Reports
Analysts say the loss creates a significant gap in high-altitude missile tracking.
Iran reportedly destroyed a $300 million US missile defence radar at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in the opening days of the war, dealing a "substantial degradation" to US surveillance capabilities in the Gulf, according to a US official cited by Bloomberg.
Satellite imagery, confirmed by CNN, shows the destruction of an RTX Corp. AN/TPY-2 radar and its support equipment, a key component of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system.
Analysts say the loss creates a significant gap in high-altitude missile tracking, reports TRT World.
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"If successful, an Iranian strike on a THAAD radar would mark one of Iran's most successful attacks so far," Ryan Brobst, deputy director of the Centre on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told Bloomberg.
He noted that while other radars remain operational, the strike represents a notable tactical shift.
Data from the FDD indicate two Iranian strikes in Jordan, on 28 February and 3 March, both initially reported to have been intercepted.
The confirmed destruction of the radar, however, underscores a systematic Iranian effort to target the "eyes" of Gulf air defences, following previous damage to radars in Qatar and SATCOM terminals in Bahrain.
The loss forces the US to rely more heavily on Patriot systems, where interceptor stocks are already limited, and comes amid broader concerns over depletion of advanced missile defence reserves. US President Donald Trump has since called on defence contractors to accelerate production of "Exquisite Class" weaponry to replenish losses.
