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Army activates new missile system battery

The Army adds a new arrow to its quiver of air defense weapons Wednesday with the activation of the first Terminal High Altitude Air Defense missile system battery at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The new THAAD unit is Alpha Battery, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, an element of the multi-functional 11th Air Defense Brigade.

THAAD is an easily transportable system for protecting airfields, population centers and other high-value targets against tactical and theater missiles at ranges out to 125 miles and altitudes of nearly 100 miles.

The system is capable of destroying targets by kinetic impact inside and outside the atmosphere.

The weapon is the high-altitude component of a tiered air defense array. The Patriot system protects against lower altitude threats.

Sources expect that the Army eventually will field two THAAD battalions of four batteries of eight launchers each.