1st Battalion (THAAD-UOES), 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
In March, 2001, the 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, the Army's only Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) equipped battalion at that time, cased its colors and was inactivated during a reorganization ceremony. The 1-6th Air Defense Artillery was most noted for its testing and operation of the THAAD missile system. Until production was complete, the unit was determined to not be needed at full capacity. At this time core personnel in the unit were reorganized into a detachment of 29 soldiers. The majority of soldiers from 1-6th Air Defense Artillery were reassigned to Patriot units. The remaining 29 soldiers maintained the existing equipment for training missions such as Roving Sands.
Prior to its inactivation in 2001, the 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment was the Army's first THAAD-equipped battalion. 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; and execute and support soldier and family care and community responsibilities.
Prior to 1995, the 1st Battalion's mission was to operate the Officer Advanced Course and Senior Warrant Officer Course. By 1988, the Battalion also conduct professional growth seminars for the spouses of the Officer Advanced Course students. At this time The School Brigade, Air Defense Artillery School was reflagged as the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and the 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, previously assigned directly to the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), was reassigned to the Brigade.
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 (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 (THAAD-UOES) 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 THAAD program failed to reach the endgame in 6 straight tests, but the interceptor was successful in 2 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, New Mexico. This was THAAD's first successful intercept of a ballistic missile. This was the tenth flight test and THAAD's seventh attempt to intercept. The first 3 tests were characterization flights used to collect data. The last 7 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 was scheduled for early FY04, followed soon afterward by the start of engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) flight-testing. The first intercept flight test of the EMD phase was scheduled for the fourth quarter of FY05.
The plan remained for a THAAD battalion to be assigned to each echelons above corps Air Defense Artillery Brigade. As planned, a THAAD battery would operate as part of a THAAD-Patriot task force within the echelons above corps Air Defense Artillery Brigades. The Army Air and Missile Defense Command would task organize 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 would attach a THAAD battery to a Patriot battalion. The Patriot battalion commander and staff would exercise command and control through the tactical operations center. When the THAAD system task force tactical operations center capability was fielded, the Air Defense Artillery Brigade commanders would have the flexibility to attach Patriot batteries to the THAAD battalion for command and control.
The ultimate plan was to equip 2 THAAD battalions with the objective system to support the 2 major regional conflict strategy. Each THAAD battalion, to be authorized 638 soldiers, would include a headquarter and headquarters battery and 4 firing batteries. The headquarters and headquarters battery would include a BMC3I unit and 2 radars. Each firing battery, authorized 122 soldiers, would include a BMC3I unit, one radar, 9 launchers and 144 missiles, which included a reload, and all support equipment. Design parameters called for each THAAD system to be transportable by land, rail or road, sea and air (by C-141 or larger aircraft). THAAD lift requirements were far less challenging than those for Patriot PAC-3. A THAAD battalion with 4 fire units and 288 missiles would require 40 C-5 sorties or 94 C-141 sorties. This was to be further ameliorated in 2008 by the contributions of the C-17 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 2 simultaneous theaters of operations anywhere in the world.
The program restructuring put into question the need to retain a fully staffed THAAD-UOES battalion. The Battalion would have little or no capability to intercept ballistic missiles because interceptors would not be available for the prototype system unless interceptors intended for tests were 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 existed for THAAD to perform that mission and no independent assessment of the prototype radar's capabilities was planned. The UOES Battalion provided input to system designers, but according to the THAAD project manager, this input could be provided with significantly fewer soldiers than the 295 authorized as of 1999. In December 1999, Battery B, 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery was inactivated.
Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, conducted a 2-phase airlift operation of the THAAD radar and associated equipment to the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands. The first phase was conducted on 16 December 2000, when 6 soldiers from 1-6th Air Defense Artillery moved the THAAD radar from White Sands Missile Range to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamorgordo, New Mexico. Phase two of the air load operation took place between 8 and 10 January 2001. Once again, the soldiers from 1-6th Air Defense Artillery moved 2 radar prime power units and 2 HMMWVs from White Sands to Holloman.
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