1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery (THAAD)
The 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was the Army's only THAAD battalion. The 1st Battalion 6th ADA, held a reorganization ceremony in March 2001, at which the unit downsized from a battalion to a detachment of 29 soldiers. The 1-6 ADA was most noted for its testing and operation of the Theater High Altitude Air Defense missile system. Until production is complete, the unit is not needed at full capacity. In the meantime, the majority of soldiers from 1-6 ADA were reassigned to Patriot units. The remaining 29 soldiers maintain the current equipment for training missions such as Roving Sands.
The Battalion's mission was to support development, fielding, and testing of the THAAD system. Recommend THAAD system improvements to the materiel development community. Maintain preparedness to deploy combat-ready THAAD batteries in the event of a national emergency. Supervise the organization and training of soldiers on the THAAD system. Execute and support soldier and family care and community responsibilities.
Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 6th ADA, conducted a two-phase airlift operation of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense Radar and associated equipment to the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands. The first phase was conducted on 16 December 2000, when six soldiers from 1-6 ADA moved the THAAD radar from White Sands Missile Range to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamorgordo, NM. Phase two of the air load operation took place Jan. 8 through 10. Once again the soldiers from 1-6 ADA moved two radar prime power units and two HUMMVs from White Sands to Holloman.
The Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program failed to reach the endgame in six straight tests, but the interceptor was successful in two subsequent tests when test modifications ensured the interceptor reached the end game. The THAAD system made a successful intercept of a HERA target in a 10 June 1999 flight test at White Sands Missile Range, NM. This was the Theater High Altitude Area Defense's first successful intercept of a ballistic missile. This was the tenth flight test and THAAD's seventh attempt to intercept. The first three tests were characterization flights used to collect data. The last seven were attempts to intercept
Accordingly, the Department of Defense restructured the THAAD program, adopting a more conservative development strategy to give defense contractors time to solve the routine engineering and design problems that remain. A preliminary design review is scheduled for late fiscal year 2002. The THAAD system critical design review has been scheduled for early FY 2004, followed soon afterward by the start of engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) flight-testing. The first intercept flight test of the EMD phase is scheduled for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2005.
As part of the 1991 Missile Defense Act, Congress mandated the defense of deployed theaters against tactical ballistic missiles. The Army termed this the Theater High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD. The Combined Arms Center-Combat Developments (CAC-CD) Force Design Directorate (FDD) proposed to meet this requirement with a battalion design requiring a strength of 337, which the Chief of Staff of the Army approved pending the competition of the design in the Total Army Analysis [TAA] process.
The Army established a THAAD User Operational Evaluation System battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1995. The User Operational Evaluation System -- an early prototype version of the final THAAD system -- was intended to (1) allow military users to influence the THAAD system design, (2) permit an early operational assessment of the system's capabilities, and (3) provide a system that could be deployed in a national emergency. The initial plan called for the prototype system to have 40 interceptors; 4 launchers; 2 radars; 2 battle management/command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence units; and associated support equipment. Except for the interceptors, these components were acquired and delivered to the THAAD battalion under the existing program definition and risk reduction contract at little or no additional cost. Under the initial plan, the 40 interceptors were to be produced after the first successful intercept test at an estimated cost of $225 million.
The program restructuring put into question the need to retain a fully staffed User Operational Evaluation System battalion. The battalion will have little or no capability to intercept ballistic missiles because interceptors will not be available for the prototype system unless interceptors intended for tests are diverted to the battalion. According to the Army Training and Doctrine Command's system manager for THAAD, the THAAD radar could be used for predicting the launch and impact points of enemy missiles, but no requirement exists for THAAD to perform that mission and no independent assessment of the prototype radar's capabilities is planned. The User Operational Evaluation System battalion provides input to system designers, but according to the THAAD project manager, this input could be provided with significantly fewer soldiers than the 295 currently authorized as of 1999.
A Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battalion will be assigned to each echelons above corps (EAC) Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade. Normally a Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery will operate as part of a Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)-PATRIOT task force within the echelons above corps (EAC) Air Defense Artillery Brigades. The Army Air and Missile Defense Command will task organize Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries to corps Air Defense Artillery Brigades based on the factors of mission, equipment, terrain/weather, time, troops available, and civilians (METT-TC). Likewise, Air Defense Artillery Brigades normally will attach a Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to a PATRIOT battalion. The PATRIOT battalion commander and staff would exercise command and control through the tactical operations center. When the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system task force tactical operations center capability is fielded, the Air Defense Artillery Brigade commanders will have the flexibility to attach PATRIOT batteries to the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battalion for command and control.
The ultimate plan is to equip two THAAD battalions to support the two major regional conflict (MRC) strategy. Each THAAD battalion (638 soldiers) includes a headquarter and headquarters battery and four firing batteries. The headquarters and headquarters battery will include a BMC3I unit and two radars. Each firing battery (122 soldiers) will include a BMC3I unit, one radar, nine launchers and 144 missiles, which includes a reload, and all support equipment.
The battalion (objective system) will consist of four (4) firing batteries and a Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB). It will consist of the following equipment: one (1) battalion BM/C3I set, four (4) battery BM/C3I sets, six (6) radar's, thirty-six (36) launchers, five hundred and seventy-six (576) or more missiles and necessary support equipment. The battalion will have two (2) radars in the HHB. HHB equipment may augment deployed batteries to achieve required coverage. The battery consists of one (1) set of BM/C3I equipment, one (1) radar, nine (9) launchers with missiles, and required support equipment.
Design parameters call for each THAAD system to be transportable by land, rail or road, sea and air (by C-141 or larger aircraft). THAAD lift requirements are far less challenging than those for Patriot PAC-3. A THAAD battalion with 4 fire units and 288 missiles will require 40 C5 sorties, or 94 C141 sorties.125 This will be further ameliorated in 2008 by the contributions of the C17 airlifter.
When available for deployment, both THAAD battalions would be based at the Army Air Defense Artillery Center and School at Fort Bliss, Texas, ready for immediate deployment to any of two simultaneous theaters of operations anywhere in the world.
