The U.S. Army fired more than 150 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June, marking the system’s most extensive operational use to date, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The number represents nearly 25% of all THAAD interceptors ever acquired by the Pentagon. The high usage has left U.S. stockpiles critically low, with officials now facing a year-long replenishment timeline and an estimated $2 billion cost to replace the expended interceptors.
U.S. officials also confirmed attempts to secure additional THAAD interceptors from allied nations, including Saudi Arabia during the Iran-Israel conflict. However, those countries declined to fulfill the requests.
“The demand [for THAAD] was so staggering that at one point, the Pentagon considered a plan to divert interceptors purchased by Saudi Arabia to the systems in Israel, one official said,” the Journal‘s report says. “The discussions were sensitive, because the kingdom’s cities and oil installations were also considered at risk during the conflict.”
“During the war, we asked everyone to donate,” one official told Middle East Eye. “When that didn’t work, we tried deal-making. It wasn’t aimed at one country.”
According to the U.S. Military’s 2026 Fiscal Year budget request, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has received funding for 646 THAAD interceptors, though some remain undelivered or were used in tests.
The agency is requesting funds for 25 more in the next fiscal cycle, each costing approximately $15.5 million.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. Navy ships also launched around 80 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors to defend Israel during the June conflict. According to The War Zone, U.S. forces also deployed SM-2 and SM-6 missiles, along with ground-based Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.
The extensive use of Patriot systems has significantly depleted U.S. stockpiles, leaving the country with only about 25% of the Patriot interceptors needed to meet global military requirements, The Guardian reported. The shortage reportedly led the Trump administration to freeze its latest shipment of munitions to Ukraine.
Just days after concerns over dwindling stockpiles emerged, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will sell billions of dollars in military equipment to NATO allies, which will then transfer much of it to Ukraine to bolster Kyiv’s defense against Russia.
