A key US missile-defence radar system was destroyed in Jordan during the early days of the latest conflict between Iran and the United States, according to American officials and satellite imagery.
The CNN reported that the radar was located at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and formed part of the advanced THAAD missile defence system.
The system was manufactured by RTX Corporation.
A US official told the network the radar alone was worth about $300 million and served as a critical component of American defensive capabilities in the Gulf region.
Its destruction has raised concerns that the US’s ability to intercept future missile attacks could be weakened.
Defence experts say the THAAD system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in the upper edge of the Earth’s atmosphere and is significantly more powerful than the shorter-range Patriot missile system.
With the radar now out of service, much of the missile-interception burden will fall on Patriot systems, which have already faced complaints of missile shortages.
A full THAAD battery costs roughly $1 billion, and the United States currently operates only eight such systems worldwide.
Analysts say the loss of the radar is a major setback because the US does not have a spare unit readily available to replace it.
Research groups also say an American radar in Qatar was previously damaged in an Iranian attack.
Air-defence systems across the Gulf are under increasing pressure due to sustained barrages of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles. US officials fear that if the attacks continue at the same pace, stocks of advanced interceptor missiles could soon fall to dangerously low levels.
The United States Department of Defence has recently met with major defence contractors at the White House to accelerate weapons production in response to the growing strain on military supplies.
