US deploys nearly 40% of THAAD interceptors in first 16 days of Iran war
* The US deployed nearly 40% of its THAAD interceptors in the first 16 days of the war against Iran, raising serious questions about the limitations of the US air defense system.
* According to analysts, if the US defense system struggles against Iran, where Iran is only a regional power, then the US is practically unprepared to fight a global power like China.
* China has the world’s largest missile arsenal. In particular, its DF-27 anti-ship ballistic missile and DF-17 hypersonic glide vehicle are capable of changing direction in mid-air and have extremely high speeds.
* The DF-27 missile, with a range of about 8,000 kilometers, is capable of directly hitting Pearl Harbor and Everett Naval Base in Washington State. In other words, China can pose a threat to the US mainland without sending a single ship.
* According to Dr. Andrew Erickson of the US Naval War College, China is the first country in the world to effectively deploy armed ICBMs, which poses a grave threat to US interests in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
* While the Patriot and THAAD systems currently in use struggle against Iran’s less advanced missiles, these interceptors are likely to run out quickly in the face of a massive Chinese offensive.
* Of concern is that a new stockpile of THAAD is unlikely to arrive before April 2027. As a result, if the stockpile is depleted in just two weeks of fighting with Iran, it will be impossible for the US to counter China’s thousands of missiles.
— New Rules Geopolitics
