Radar bases housing key US missile interceptor hit in Jordan and UAE, satellite images show
By Thomas Bordeaux, Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN
(CNN) — New satellite images from several key military bases in the Arabian Peninsula suggest that Iran is seeking to degrade air defenses by destroying US-made radars that detect incoming missiles and drones.
The radar system for an American THAAD missile battery in Jordan was struck and apparently destroyed in the first days of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, a satellite image taken on Monday shows.
Buildings housing similar radar systems were also hit at two locations in the United Arab Emirates, CNN analysis shows, although it is unclear if the equipment was damaged.
The radar is a critical element for the high-end missile interceptor system, which is used to engage and destroy ballistic missiles as they fly toward their target. The US operates eight THAAD batteries, while the UAE operates two and Saudi Arabia one. This one was at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, over 500 miles from Iran.
The radar system for THAADs is the AN/TPY-2 transportable radar, manufactured by Raytheon. According to a 2025 Missile Defense Agency budget, it costs just shy of half-a-billion dollars.
The image shows a pair of 13-foot craters in the sand near the radar, suggesting that it may have taken multiple attempts to hit the system, which is split across five 40-foot trailers. All appeared to be destroyed or seriously damaged.
The radar and THAAD battery had been in Muwaffaq since at least mid-February and appear to have been struck on March 1 or 2. The base has been a hub of activity for the United States. In satellite images taken before the fighting started, more than 50 fighter jets could be seen on the tarmac, along with drones and transport aircraft. Dozens of aircraft shelters likely contained more planes, hidden from satellite view.
It may not be the only THAAD radar struck in the opening days of the war with Iran.
At least three buildings at a military installation near Ruwais, and four at an installation in Sader, both in the UAE, were damaged between February 28 and March 1. Pull-through vehicle sheds used to store radar systems for THAAD batteries at both sites were among the buildings struck.
CNN determined that this pair of sites hosted THAAD batteries and radars based on a review of satellite imagery that showed their presence at Sader and Ruwais as far back as 2016 and 2018, respectively. In the images, components of the radar systems can regularly be seen just outside the vehicle sheds.
CNN could not immediately determine whether the missile defense sites were used to host THAAD batteries owned by the US military, or the pair that had been sold to the UAE. High-resolution satellite imagery was not immediately available to determine whether the radar systems were present at the time of the strikes.
Damaging the radar does not make the THAAD system completely inoperable, experts say, as there are other assets and configurations, but it certainly degrades capability and flexibility.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, a munitions specialist and director of the research company Armament Research Services (ARES), told CNN the radar cannot be easily replaced and called it a significant loss.
“The AN-TPY/2 radar is essentially the heart of the THAAD battery, enabling the launch of interceptor missiles and contributing to a networked air defense picture,” he said. “It also happens to be an incredibly expensive piece of kit. The loss of even a single radar of this type would be an operationally significant event. It is probable that a replacement unit would have to be redeployed from elsewhere, which will take time and effort.”
THAAD has a broad engagement zone, so it can be used to protect a wide area, Jenzen-Jones said. “However, it also needs to be layered with other (anti-ballistic missile) and air defenses, such as Patriot, to ensure good coverage against different kinds of threats and to provide some measure of protection to the battery itself,” he added.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Iranian strikes on US military bases and facilities across the Arabian Peninsula targeted and damaged communications, radar and intelligence equipment in an apparent effort to cut them off from the outside world.
In addition, satellite imagery shows damage to a US-made Qatari early-warning radar system at Umm Dahal, according to images analyzed by Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
A Pentagon spokesperson told CNN: “Due to operations security, we are not going to comment on the status of specific capabilities in the region.” CNN has reached out to Jordanian and UAE authorities.
Residents of the UAE reported increased fighter jet activity over the country on Wednesday. On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the UAE’s skies to protect its military bases there. He didn’t elaborate on the missions flown by the jets, or whether they have been involved in shooting down any drones or missiles that might threaten the bases.
The UAE has reported a significant reduction in the number of missiles launched at its territory since the start of the war, dropping to seven missiles on Thursday from 137 on Saturday, the first day of the war.
Drone attacks, however, continued in frequency and now make up most of the attacks against the UAE. The UAE, which hosts American troops at Dhafra, has been among the most targeted Arab states in the gulf, with 1,072 drones and 196 ballistic missiles.
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