$15bn contract - US to give Saudi Arabia seven THAAD missile defence systems and 360 missiles

The United States intends to significantly strengthen Saudi Arabia's missile defence system. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) complexes will be sent to the largest state of the Arabian Peninsula for this purpose.

Here's What We Know

The US State Department approved the potential sale of THAAD last October. The deal amounted to $15 billion. The US will deliver seven missile defence systems and 360 missiles over four years.

THAAD is a system developed by Lockheed Martin. It is designed to destroy ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of flight. The system uses the "hit-to-kill" principle, so the interceptor has no warhead.

One of the key components of the THAAD is X-band radar. The radar station can detect and track ballistic missiles up to 1000 km away. It has a maximum intercept range of 200km and an altitude of 150km.

Source: Army Recognition