Just two Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense batteries could defend most parts of South Korea against a North Korean attack with a medium-range ballistic missile, a simulation suggests.
In 2013, THAAD manufacturer Lockheed Martin reportedly briefed South Korean Air Force officers on the outcome of the simulation.
According to simulation data obtained by the Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday, a single THAAD battery could defend most of South Korea if the North fires a medium-range missile with a range of 300 to 1,000 km.
If the North fires several at the same time, two would be needed, though they would leave the southeast exposed.
Three THAAD batteries would be needed to defend the whole of South Korea against a barrage of the North's Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km, a military source said.
THAAD batteries would have a larger intercept range against the threat of short-range missiles than against medium-range rockets.
A battery consists of six missile launch pads or 48 missiles, a mobile X-Band Radar and a fire-control system. One battery costs a whopping W1.5-2 trillion
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/03/25/2015032500896.html
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