Arrow & THAAD Systems
Arrow 2 intercepts long-range missiles within the atmosphere.
Arrow 3 targets ballistic missiles in space with hit-to-kill precision.
THAAD, deployed by the U.S. in late 2024, adds terminal-phase protection with 48 interceptors per battery.
Interceptors are costly—$2–3 million for Arrow, over $12 million for THAAD.

Key Challenges
Finite Interceptors: Multiple interceptors are often used per missile, draining stockpiles fast.
Massive Iranian Arsenal: Iran has hundreds of MRBMs and is launching saturation attacks to overwhelm defenses.
Recent Conflict: Iran had launched hundreds of ballistic missiles. Israel claims to have destroyed about one-third of Iran’s launchers.
Cost Strain: Defending for just hours can cost hundreds of millions.

Interception Rate: Israel reports 80–90% success.
Not Foolproof: Some missiles have broken through, causing damage.
Advanced Threats: Hypersonic speeds, decoys, and Iranian tactics like decoy guidance increase the challenge.
Technical Limits: There have been rare failures, such as missiles bypassing both Arrow and THAAD.

Israel’s defenses are world-class but not limitless. Against Iran’s scale and strategy, stockpile levels, resupply speed, and economic endurance will all shape how long they can hold.