US has used more than half of Patriot interceptors in Iran war

The military had approximately 452 THAAD interceptors prior to the war, had between 232 and 262 at the start of the April ceasefire, and has been able to replenish some of the inventory to between roughly 234 and 278 interceptors. “Diminished stockpiles may force the United States and its coalition partners to take more risks with interceptions,” CSIS report authors Mark Cancian and Chris Park wrote. “There are no good alternatives to Patriot and THAAD for ballistic missile defense. Navy ships, with Standard Missiles that can intercept such threats, generally are too far away.” The continued use of these interceptors…