US interceptor stockpiles being depleted by Iran war, could take years to replenish

The Jerusalem Post ^ | March 25, 2026 | ASSAF GILEAD/GLOBES/TNS

[McGruff]

A new US Congress study published last week on the THAAD ballistic missile interception system shed worrying light on the inventory of interceptors available to the US in the near future.

The document says, "There is concern that the rate of use of THAAD interceptors during Operation Epic Fury has further reduced the limited stock of interceptors."

Despite the problematic reputation that the THAAD system has acquired for itself over the past few years, during which it was deployed in the Middle East, Congress claims that the interception rate of the US system reaches about 90% of all Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, with an emphasis on the UAE, a comparable rate to the Arrow 3, the Israel-US jointly developed system, used exclusively by the IDF.

The study also found that half of all interceptions used to defend Israeli skies in the operation against Iran in June were made by the THAAD system - ninety-two interceptions in total out of an estimated supply of 632 interceptors, and added it would take many years before the stockpile of interceptors could be fully replenished.

"It could take three to eight years to replenish the THAAD missile stockpile, each of which costs an estimated $12.7 million." The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), which provided some of the materials to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), found that the first days of the current US Operation Epic Fury were more intensive than the opening of any other air campaign in the history of the US military, with 5,197 munitions across 35 types carrying a munitions-only replacement bill of $10 - $16 billion in four days.

---

TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Iran; News/Current Events; War
KEYWORDS: dei; epicfury; military; missiles; thaad; ukrainemoochers

[JBW1949]

Why are we getting so much USA information from Israeli news media???

[Glennb51]

How many were sent to Ukraine?

[Retain Mike]

Here is another source about the THAAD system

Report to Congress on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System

https://ews.usni.org/2026/03/24/report-to-congress-on-the-terminal-high-altitude-area-defense-system?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=a3fdb82c94-USNI_NEWS_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_ter m=0_0dd4a1450b-a3fdb82c94-230377553&mc_cid=a3fdb82c94

[know.your.why]

Job security for me! Thank you President Trump!

[Carry_Okie]

Having been on the microelectronics manufacturing side of ballistic missile system radar, this is a legitimate concern. It simply takes a long time to produce and test components for these systems. I have been worried about the burn rate as having an external agenda. Yes, we are developing new generation and cheaper anti-drone systems. But this does not portend well for Trump’s “Golden Dome” unless there is a breakthrough of which I’m unaware, which would seem likely by now.

[GOP_Party_Animal]

One of the things I hope President Trump is able to reform while he's still in office is military procurement. We have these few consolidated defense contractors that engineer and manufacture at a lethargic pace - partly due to required DEI policies.

New companies like Anduril give me hope. Their priorities are weapons that are quick to manufacture, innovative, and cheap.

[chud]

If we’re low on interceptors then maybe we should stop sending them to other countries.

[Glennb51]

I think we should determine whether or not the country we want to arm is friend or foe first.

[Starboard]

Slightly off topic but worth nothing that prolonged up tempo military operations also put stress on our ships and aircraft. These platform require enormous amounts of maintenance in order to maintain readiness. Not to mention the effects of prolonged deployments on personnel. Just saying.

[ridesthemiles]

IIRC-——IN W W 2, WE BUILD A B-17 EVERY SINGLE DAY.

[Bobbyvotes]

What good are stockpiles if never used?

[chud]

What good are stockpiles if you run out and don’t have a stockpile?

[NorthMountain]

partly due to required DEI policies.

DIE policies that THE GOVERNMENT required ...

[webheart]

Why is it a problem now but when Ukraine needed them they got everything we had?

[mrmeyer]

They won’t stop because the pockets of the American taxpayer have no limit

[wildcard_redneck]

Or it could not. Thrum. Old use the Defense Production Act (DPA) to shift production to more nimble and honest defense contractors. The DPA allows the U.S. president to prioritize and allocate resources during emergencies to ensure national defense needs are met.

[DAC21]

“But this does not portend well for Trump’s “Golden Dome” unless there is a breakthrough of which I’m unaware, which would seem likely by now”

Lasers?

[Sirius Lee]

A B-17 EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Slacker. At our peak, we were building 30 B-24s a day.

[Liz]

Israel conducted joint US operations against Iran, with over 1,000 targets hit by a wide array of US-supplied weapons in 2006 alone, including thousands of smart bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and GBU-57 bunker busters, as reported by Stars and Stripes.

The U.S. also provided essential refueling for Israeli aircraft, and deployed B-2 stealth bombers and Navy ships firing Tomahawk missiles, according to South China Morning Post. (Stars and Stripes)

---

Key details on US-taxpayer supplied weapons to Isreal:

Missiles: Hundreds of US taxpayer paid Hellfire missiles were delivered to Israel just before the conflict.

Aircraft: The Israeli air force utilized US-taxpayer paid F-35, F-22, F-16, and F/A-18 jets, as mentioned on New Arab.

Iaxpayer paid Bunker Busters: The US used Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) and 2,000-pound bombs against hardened facilities.

Defense Systems: The US deployed taxpayer-paid THAAD missile defense batteries, with over 150 missiles fired during the conflict.

The operations, referred to as “Operation Epic Fury,” utilized the largest concentration of taxpayer paid US firepower in the region in a generation. (Stars and Stripes)