I just looked up the range of the THAAD system and found this:
“However, it is important to understand that THAAD is an anti-theater ballistic missile system not designed to counter intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is aimed at missiles under a range of 5,500 km and beyond 150 km. It boasts an area protection of 200 km and is capable of multiple launches.”
Thus we are looking at a range arc of 200 kilometers or 120 miles. Thus would need a string of them from southern Alaska down to San Diego. Or around the major cities as was done with the old Nike system. And also for inland cities as well. I remember seeing the Nike site along Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive in the late 50’s early 60s when we took a grade school trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
I don’t think the old Safeguard site in either Montana or North Dakota any more.
So if that’s true how are these systems any good against missiles that can hit Washington DC?
The Sprint missile was one badass rocket.
” the old Safeguard site in either Montana or North Dakota “
The old Safeguard site in Montana was never built. Construction on it was started at about the same time as the North Dakota site, but was delayed by a construction workers strike. Nixon traded it off in the Missile Defense treaty. Agreed with the Soviets for each nation to build only two missile defense sites. One to defend the national capitol and one to defend a missile field. The Soviets supposedly built something to defend Moscow & we built Safeguard North Dakota. It became operational, but the Dems shut it down after about half a year. Apparently the Perimeter Acquisition Radar is still operational http://www.afspc.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1126406/perimeter-acquisition-radar-attack-characterization-system/ but it only looks north. North Korea is west.
If so the building of a THAAD system in California may be to protect the US against submarines or container ships missile attacks.
I remember playing football in the median of the old
Southfield Road in western Detroit in the mid- to late 50s. There was a NIKE battery active there as well. All the boys wondered why the Army had set up a missile battery so far inland. A couple of the older lads wanted to know if they got drafted, could they get stationed so close to home. Idiots.
Yes,
THAAD can do what you say, and the real performance will not be published openly. But if THAAD was the primary protection, then it would be one or two per major metro area. Patriot is even shorter in range and the one in Alaska is the long range. So we are designed for a long, mid, and short range multiple defense system. We would need them all.
And do not forget the Aegis, they can patrol the coast where ever a target needs defense. My understanding is that they are in the THAAD range of missile defense.
One final comment, these systems are not designed for long term stand off defense, they are for the one or two missiles that might get launched in a rogue government launch or an accidental launch. So these would not be a defense if we thought we would “live” with NK being armed. The concept for that is mutual assured destruction, something that we are not sure NK would understand.
There is a park called Nike park in Naperville (west of CHIcago)so named because of its past military function.