THAAD (Theater High-Altitude Area Defense) is the US Army's hypervelocity, anti-tactical ballistic missile system to defend large areas by defeating tactical ballistic missiles in the upper atmosphere. THAAD will provide area defense in contingency operations, and will complement the shorter ranged Patriot PAC-3 system (see report). In September 1992, Lockheed won the DEM/VAL contract for the system. The THAAD program had continual problems in meeting its test objectives including a string of failures lasting through the spring of 1999 which finally led to the retirement of its top program management. The program saw a major turn-around in the summer of 1999 with two successful intercepts.
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