Ankara: The US military deployed as many as 70 Patriot interceptors and over a dozen THAAD anti-missile interceptors in response to a recent Iranian ballistic missile attack on Jordan, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
According to Anadolu Agency, US forces launched between 60 and 70 Patriot interceptors to counter an assault involving approximately 20 ballistic missiles. Additionally, more than a dozen Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors were deployed, the report indicated, citing US and regional officials familiar with the situation.
The number of interceptors used during this incident was comparable to what US forces have typically expended over an entire week in other phases of the conflict. Iran reportedly employed warheads that fragmented into multiple projectiles upon nearing their targets, complicating interception efforts.
While the defenses managed to intercept several threats, they failed to prevent all incoming attacks. Iran successfully struck fighter jets and other aircraft at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, though no US personnel were harmed in the latest assault, the Journal noted.
The complexity of Iranian attacks has increased throughout the conflict, with the employment of various missile types, trajectories, maneuvers, and warheads, according to officials who spoke to the newspaper. Despite the challenges, US Central Command did not comment on the report, and the Pentagon dismissed claims of depleted American munitions.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated, "Reports suggesting that the United States' munitions are depleted are completely false," emphasizing that the US military remains well-prepared to counter threats. President Donald Trump also assured that the US maintains robust interceptor stocks and is boosting production.
However, a report from the Defense Department's inspector general this week noted that the conflict has led to strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply. By mid-July, the US had utilized approximately 1,700 Patriot interceptors and over 200 THAAD interceptors during the conflict. Additionally, US Navy ships fired around 150 Standard Missile interceptors against Iranian missiles and drones.
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of Patriot interceptors, produced 620 units in 2025 and aims to increase annual production to about 2,000, according to the report. US officials have also expressed concerns that the substantial transfer of munitions to the Middle East could impact the US's ability to respond to potential threats elsewhere, including in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, addressed concerns on CBS' '60 Minutes,' stating he was not worried about interceptor shortages and affirmed that US forces are prepared for any contingency. The strain on interceptor inventories has also led Gulf states to seek additional air defense munitions following months of Iranian missile and drone attacks, which has affected the availability of systems for Ukraine's defense against Russian strikes, as reported by the Journal.