Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control division (MFC) is a major supplier of defense equipment to the Middle East and that business is about to arise to a new level thanks to an anticipated sale of its Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) to Qatar. Air and missile defense (AMD) has been a key requirement for most nations in the region for more than 20 years due to the increase of both foreign-purchased and indigenously-developed theater-range ballistic missile (TBM) inventories.
In November 2012, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that the government of Qatar had requested a possible sale of two THAAD fire units, 12 THAAD launchers, 150 THAAD interceptors, two THAAD fire control and communications systems, two AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars, and one early warning radar unit. The total cost of these major system components plus the associated support and maintenance equipment is estimated at $6.5 billion. Previously, the UAE decided to acquire the THAAD system.
