An American Defense System That Can Take Out Russia’s New Inter-Continental Missile Oreshnik

Russia’s Putin said he’s not worried about the US potentially supplying Ukraine with their Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, at his combined annual press conference on December 19, 2024. "If the Americans decide to supply it, let them do this. Let them deploy this THAAD.” Putin compared the THAAD to Russia’s arsenal as “a kind of poor man’s S-400." 

Putin also suggested a technical dual between Russia, the West and the US. “Let them (Ukraine) determine some object to be hit for example in Kyiv, concentrate all their air and missile defenses there and we will strike with the Oreshnik. And we’ll see what happens.”

“People are dying, and he thinks it’s “interesting”... Dumbass,” President Zelenskyy responded via X.

US partners are working on supplying Ukraine with the THAAD system, or upgrading the Patriot due to Russia’s recent attack with “a new experimental missile,” sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine. 

"According to our data, the number of these new experimental missiles is very limited," the source noted, who believes that the missile was used to intimidate Ukrainians. The missile was not specifically named but they may be referring to the November 21, 2024 strike on Dnipro with the Oreshnik medium-range missile. 

The General staff noted that the THAAD “in all characteristics—both in height and speed —surpasses conventional missiles.”

What is the THAAD missile?

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile is designed to intercept missiles, eliminating them by colliding with them using hit-to-kill technology. The THAAD carries no warhead and instead, relies on its kinetic energy of impact to destroy the incoming missile. THAAD has a missile range of around 200 km and an altitude range of around 150 km.

According to Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of THAAD, it is a “highly effective, combat-proven defense against short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats and is the only U.S. system designed to intercept targets outside and inside the Earth's atmosphere.” 

Six truck-mounted launchers are on the system, with eight interceptors on each launcher. The battery requires a crew of around 100 to operate it, according to reports, and costs about $1bn (£766m) per battery.

Raytheon, another American weapons developer, builds its advanced radar. According to Raytheon, their THAAD radar is a phased array, capable of search, threat detection, classification, discrimination, and precision tracking at extremely long ranges.

The THAAD is interoperable with other ballistic missile defense systems and has had a 100% success rate, striking 16 of 16 intercept attempts. 

The US currently has 7 batteries deployed. In October 2024, the Pentagon confirmed their deployment of the THAAD to Israel to bolster their air defense along with sending US troops to operate the system. The US previously deployed the THAAD to Israel in 2019 “for training and an integrated air defense exercise” but took the battery back to the US after the exercise according to the US Department of Defense. 

THAAD vs the S-400

The S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile defense system is designed to target air attack assets, including reconnaissance aircraft, strategic and tactical aircraft, ballistic missiles, hypersonic targets, and more. 

The S-400 can strike aerial targets at a range of up to 400 km and ballistic missiles at ranges of up to 15 km, and can reportedly be assembled in 5 minutes. Both the THAAD and the S-400 have their strengths. The S-400 can shoot down stealth aircrafts, is cheaper and has a faster Mach  speed. The THAAD can detect ballistic missiles at range up to 2,900miles, the S-400 has a detection range of only up to 373 miles.The S-400 is more versatile but the THAAD radars and satellite technology makes it dangerously accurate. 

Russia’s prized S-400 defense systems have been victim to many strikes by Ukrainian forces, notably with US-supplied ATACM ballistic missiles. One system is estimated to cost  $1.2 billion.

In November 2024, Ukraine destroyed one S-400 system in Crimea and another in Kursk. As of June 2024, Forbes reported that Russia has lost two S-400 command posts, four radars and 16 launchers, the number would now be higher. This indicates that the S-400 isn’t as suitable for intercepting as suggested. 

Putin compared the THAAD with the S-400, but Ukraine does not want the THAAD to target Russia’s S-400 air defense specifically but in response to Russia’s recent Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) threat. 

The THAAD is reportedly the only system in the US arsenal that can intercept hypersonic targets like the Oreshnik missile. The Oreshnik attack on Dnipro was the first time that a ballistic missile with multiple independently guided warheads was used in combat. Moscow used the Oreshnik as a threat to Ukraine and the West in response to restrictions lifted by the US, UK and France to strike inside Russian territory with long-range missiles. 

“We do not rule out the use of Oreshnik against the military, military-industrial facilities or decision-making centres, including in Kyiv,” Putin said at a press conference in Kazakhstan. Adding that the weapon is “comparable in strength to a nuclear strike”.

Putin has persistently used threats in order to put pressure on the West and deter them from supporting Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly re-drawn their so-called “red lines”, made many nuclear threats against the West, and now he is relying on the Oreshnik IRBM threat. 

As the THAAD can reportedly intercept missiles like the Oreshnik, should the US deploy them to Ukraine, Putin would need to reevaluate his threats and deterrent tactics.