Doha: Iran has claimed to have destroyed the largest US radar in the Gulf. The AN/FPS-132 radar, with a range of 5,000 km, was used by the US to track missiles launched by Iran, it has been claimed.
Tehran Times and other media outlets have cited an IRGC public relations office statement, confirming the strike. This could be a major setback for the US as both Donald Trump and the Iranian administration has claimed that the conflict is likely to continue.
Such radars are indispensable for modern air defence systems because they enable timely detection, tracking and interception of aircraft and missiles. NDTV has quoted Defence Security Asia as saying that the early warning system, of which the radar was a part, is stationed at the Al Udeid air base in Qatar and has unique equipment designed for tracking ballistic missiles.
It was installed by the United States in 2013 at a cost of nearly $1.1 billion, it has been reported.
The radar was “completely destroyed” in a precision missile strike, the IRGC claimed. This was later corroborated by Qatari officials, highlighting a severe disruption to US surveillance operations that could be a blow to the integrated air defense architecture protecting allied Gulf states.
The destruction of the radar reveals how the conflict in the Gulf has now only caused human suffering, but also loss of military hardware worth billions of dollars, in just a few days.
The US has deployed some of its top military equipment in the war against Iran. These include the B2s, the bat-winged stealth bombers priced at more than $1 billion per fighter jet. These are the most potent platform in the US Air Force.
Patriot and THAAD missile defence systems have also been activated by the US to counter incoming Iranian drones and ballistic missiles. Apart from these, aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers have also been pressed into service.
