US THAAD Missile Stock Depleted, New Supplies Not Expected Until April 2027

US defense stocks of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system are depleted, according to Pentagon documents. The system's scarcity is attributed to military operations against Iran, with new interceptors not anticipated until spring 2027.

Originally scheduled for delivery in February 2025, the deployment of a THAAD missile package has been pushed back to April 2027. The contract for this package, Lot 13, was awarded to defense contractor Lockheed Martin in March 2022. Pentagon documents indicate that the production of interceptor missiles requires over five years, with the entire procurement cycle taking 6.5 years.

The last THAAD missiles were delivered to the US military in July 2023. Following the completion of Lot 12 deliveries, production capacity has been filled by export orders, leading to the subsequent delays. Starting in fiscal year 2027, the THAAD program will transition from the Missile Defense Agency to the US Army. Concurrently, the Pentagon intends to acquire 830 additional interceptor missiles valued at $10.5 billion and boost production capabilities. The current maximum production capacity for THAAD is eight missiles per month, or 96 annually.