Missile defense begins with sensors that can detect a launch within seconds. One of the key radars used with THAAD is the AN/TPY-2, a high-frequency X-band radar designed to track small, fast-moving objects at long distances. BARAK (top), PAC-3 MSE (middle) and THAAD (bottom) missiles from Lockheed Martin. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images The radar can detect and track ballistic missiles hundreds of kilometers away, following objects traveling at hypersonic speeds and transmitting that data to command centers in real time. Once a missile launch is detected, defense systems calculate its trajectory and determine where the missile will be at a given moment in flight. Interceptors are then launched to meet it at that exact point in space. Why Intercepting Ballistic Missiles Is So Hard Ballistic missiles travel extremely fast. Some reach speeds of more than 20,000 kilometres per hour, fast enough to cross the entire UAE in just a few minutes. Because of those speeds, defense systems often have only minutes to detect, track. and intercept a missile before it descends toward its target. To …